Twins make surprising corresponding move to Aaron Sabato promotion before Giants series

The Minnesota Twins officially called up first baseman Aaron Sabato, a 2020 first-round pick, for his MLB debut ahead of Monday night's game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. When The Minnesota Star Tribune's Bobby Nightengale first broke the news of Sabato's promotion, it seemed the obvious corresponding 40-man roster move would be to move Byron Buxton to the 60-day injured list. As for the 28-man roster move, optioning someone like Ben Ross would've made sense.

However, the Twins made just one move to clear space for Sabato on both the 40-man and 28-man rosters, designating catcher/first baseman Alex Jackson for release or assignment.

Honestly, this is a bit of a surprising move. With Ryan Jeffers set to hit free agency this offseason (unless he surprisingly accepts a qualifying offer), Victor Caratini will be the only catcher on the 40-man roster entering the offseason. The Twins likely just don't want to pay Jackson, who will be in his second year of arbitration next season.

The Twins acquired Jackson from the Baltimore Orioles for infield prospect Payton Eeles over the offseason. Minnesota avoided arbitration with Jackson and agreed to pay the backstop $1.35 million for 2026.

After the Twins and Jackson agreed to a contract for the 2026 season, it appeared he would be Jeffers' backup this year. However, the Twins then signed Caratini to a two-year, $14 million deal.

Minnesota tried to trade Jackson before the season began but couldn't find a deal it liked. Right before the regular season started, the Twins designated Jackson for assignment. He cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A St. Paul.

The Twins selected Jackson's contract in mid-May after Jeffers landed on the injured list with a broken hamate bone. Minnesota designated Jackson for assignment in mid-August and outrighted him to Triple-A St. Paul after he cleared waivers. Just one day later, the Twins selected Jackson's contract once again.

Twins' decision to DFA Alex Jackson with 6 games left is puzzling

Jackson rarely played when he was on the Twins' active roster this year. He hit .304/.342/.406 in 73 plate appearances across 33 games with Minnesota. The catcher had just five plate appearances and made zero starts in 44 games on the Twins' active roster after Aug. 1.

With just six games left, it's odd that the Twins decided to cut Jackson after keeping him on the roster this long. Minnesota could have made several other moves to make room for Sabato.

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