Twins recall utility man Mickey Gasper, place catcher Ryan Jeffers on paternity list in latest roster move
Baby Jeffers in on the way!!! So Ryan is out for paternity leave and Micky Gasper is here to take his place on the roster.
— Audra Martin (@Audra_Martin) July 26, 2025
Congratulations, Ryan Jeffers!
Jeffers, who has slashed .354/.415/.500 in his last 48 at-bats, will likely return during the series against the Boston Red Sox early next week, as he will have up to three days to stay on the paternity list.
Christian Vázquez, who is hitting .320 over his last 25 at-bats, will most likely assume all of the catching duties during Jeffers’ absence. Gasper is now the only other player on the 26-man roster besides Vázquez who can play catcher, but he will likely only play the position if Vázquez gets injured. Gasper has played 150 innings at catcher in Triple-A St. Paul this year, but logged just one inning at the position for the Twins in his brief time on their 26-man roster.
However, it’s possible Vázquez, who is set to be a free agent this upcoming offseason, could be traded before Jeffers returns from the injured list, as the MLB Trade Deadline will be on July 31. If so, then Gasper has a clear opportunity to play catcher briefly and potentially stay on the major league roster as a backup. However, the Twins might lean on someone who is viewed more as a primary catcher, such as Jhonny Pereda, if that were to happen.
Gasper has been given limited major league opportunities and has struggled in them. In 39 plate appearances with Minnesota this season, Gasper slashed .176/.282/.206 with one extra-base hit and four RBIs. However, his minor league stats show a completely different player; Gasper has posted a spectacular .285/.385/.531 slash line with 10 home runs and 26 RBIs across 208 plate appearances with Triple-A St. Paul this season.
Twins aiming to win series against the Washington Nationals
After winning Game 1 of the three-game set 1-0, the Twins will play Game 2 of the series against the Nationals at 6:10 p.m. CT on Saturday at Target Field in Minneapolis. The probable starting pitchers are Twins’ righty Joe Ryan and Nationals’ lefty Mitchell Parker.