Catcher remains one of the most intriguing spots in the organization, as it’s a role that is far from flush with talent. Next season, Ryan Jeffers is pencilled in as the starter, after a resurgence in 2024.

However, last year’s backup behind the dish, Christian Vazquez, is a free agent, leaving a very important hole on the Twins’ 26-man roster entering the 2025 offseason.

Alex Jackson gives MN Twins more catching depth

But rather than wait to see more options, as they become available this winter, president Derek Falvey seemingly filled Vazquez spot on Friday by trading Triple-A infielder Peyton Eeles to Baltimore for 29-year-old veteran catcher, Alex Jackson.

Twins acquired catcher Alex Jackson from the Orioles for infield prospect Payton Eeles.

Jackson is 29 and a career .153 hitter in 160 big-league games. He's eligible for arbitration, with a projected $1.8 million salary.

Jackson is presumably the Christian Vázquez replacement.

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) November 21, 2025

Outside of Jeffers, the only other catcher on the Minnesota Twins 40-man roster was Jhonny Pereda. Triple-A doesn’t have a ton of options, and star prospect Eduardo Tait is years away. That meant adding more talent made sense.

Jackson was the 6th overall pick by the Seattle Mariners back in 2014. In 2015 and 2016, he ranked as a top 100 prospect. Last year with the Orioles was his best season in the big leagues. Across 36 games he batted .220/.290/.473 with five home runs. He has an .840 OPS in 313 Triple-A games.

What are Twins getting in Alex Jackson?

2026 will be Jackson’s seventh big league season. He has played for five different organizations, and the offensive ability has never carried him. However, his defensive metrics are solid, especially when it comes to framing and controlling the running game.

Arbitration eligible for the first time, Jackson will make more than the league minimum. MLB Trade Rumors has him tabbed for a $1.8 million salary in 2026. That’s substantially less than Minnesota wasted on Christian Vazquez, and the defensive impact may be similar.

With Jackson in the fold, it’s likely that Jeffers sees more time as a traditional starter with the new addition serving as his backup. It will be interesting to see how new manager Derek Shelton handles the position.

New Oriole, Payton Eeles went undrafted and signed with the Twins out of independent baseball. He made it to Triple-A St. Paul during his first affiliated season, and he had a .919 OPS with the Saints. Last year he struggled a bit batting just .253/.379/.321 across 86 Triple-A games. It’s likely he’s a Quad-A type that can play all over.

DaShawn Keirsey DFA’d by MN Twins

Earlier this week the Minnesota Twins added six prospects to their 40-man roster. They also acquired Eric Orze to take a bullpen spot. That filled the 40-man roster. Needing space to add Jackson, the club designated DaShawn Keirsey Jr. for assignment.

A fourth round pick in 2018, Keirsey Jr. made his major league debut in 2024. Last season he played 74 games for Minnesota but hit just .107/.138/.179. He is a standout defender in the outfield, and has base stealing ability. Offensively though, he was a bust.

Keirsey Jr. will be 29 next season and his .811 OPS at Triple-A hasn’t shown up in the majors. It’s possible he goes unclaimed and simply returns to the Twins. This is not his first time being DFA’d.

It’s all but assumed that Minnesota will lose the necessary four games in order to reach 90 losses. What comes of that this offseason remains to be seen, but changes should be expected.

Those changes will happen on both the player and personnel front. Some holdovers will force looming decisions regarding the state of the roster. For Matt Wallner, his contributions thus far will have to be enough as his season comes to an end.

Matt Wallner done for season with oblique injury

On Wednesday against the New York Yankees, Matt Wallner was lifted by the Minnesota Twins with what they called right back spasms. On Friday he was placed on the injured list with an oblique strain.

We have made the following roster move pic.twitter.com/BRcwEpHNZb

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) September 19, 2025

Even if the MN Twins had more than 10 games to go, the reality is that Wallner likely would be in line to miss time. Oblique injuries aren’t often quick to heal, and they can be especially tricky when trying to swing.

Wallner played in a career-high 104 games for the Twins this season. He finishes with a .202/.311/.464 slash line, and a career-best 22 home runs. Unfortunately his 110 OPS+ is 39 points below where he was last year, and 29 points below what he entered with as a career average.

Matt Wallner extends the @Twins lead with his 21st homer of the season 💪 pic.twitter.com/rDn6Tht8rx

— MLB (@MLB) September 5, 2025

At multiple points this season Wallner looked like a capable slugger in the middle of the lineup. Despite the poor average, he drew walks and posted a career-low strikeout rate. Unfortunately he also struggled with velocity and more-often-than-not, left plenty to be desired from an overall contribution perspective.

Related: Where Will MN Twins Superstar Finish in MVP Race?

Wallner’s thump was also largely mitigated by a lineup that failed to produce in front of him. Despite the career-high 22 home runs, he generated just 40 RBI. A metric that largely reflects opportunity, Minnesota failed to provide him much when stepping in to the box.

MN Twins recall DaShawn Keirsey Jr.

DaShawn Keirsey Jr. is back up to take Wallner’s place. He leaves Triple-A St. Paul as the Saints have just three games left to play. Keirsey Jr. has played in 70 games for Minnesota this season. He owns a .110/.141/.183 slash line with a 32/2 K/BB. Short of his speed and defense, it’s been a failure to capitalize on opportunity.

Keirsey Jr. has had a significant amount of runway this season. Unfortunately his .300/.368/.476 slash line across 111 Triple-A games last season hasn’t resulted in big league production.

Related: MN Twins Catcher Nearing Long-Awaited Return

Like Wallner, and to a greater extent, the Twins will need to make a decision on what impact Keirsey Jr. makes going forward. It’s hard for him to be a backup outfielder with no other translatable utility.

Minnesota starts their final homestand on Friday night with four games in three days against Cleveland.

All that came just a couple weeks before the Pohlads’ bait and switch minority selloff, which secured their majority ownership of the Twins for the foreseeable future. and now own a 62-75 record.

If you are one of the many fans who’ve recently tuned out the local 9, however, you’ve missed a different brand of baseball than what we’ve become accustomed to, under the leadership of manager Rocco Baldelli and president Derek Falvey.

Minnesota Twins stealing at a historic rate

Since shaking up the roster at the trade deadline, the Minnesota Twins look like a team with lots of fresh MLB meat, and thus much more fresh legs ready and willing to be more aggressive on the basepaths.

DaShawn Keirsey Jr. was recalled on Monday, when active MLB rosters expanded from 26 to 28 players. Speed is a major part of his game that he felt went underutilized when he was called up earlier in the season. Now, he believes things will be different: “They’ve kind of opened up the running game, running a lot more now”.

The data tells us Keirsey is right. The Twins stole 23 bases in August, their highest one-month total in more than a decade. And Keirsey, a 28-year-old rookie outfielder, now ranks second among the current Twins with nine steals on the season.

Manager Rocco Baldelli’s new emphasis on aggressiveness on the bases should help the now young and energetic Twins steal more efficiently, which is crucial if Minnesota is going to continue swiping bases at historic rates.

“It kind of takes a lot of the focus off of you” when you reach base, Keirsey reasoned. “Before, it was like, ‘OK there’s one or two guys who might run, so we’re not going to let them go.’ But when you have guys who all can become a base-running threat, they’re going to pay attention, but maybe it’s more divided attention.”

Star Tribune

It’s not just translating to more stolen bases, either. Twins players are looking to take the extra 90 feet whenever they feel an opportunity presents itself. That’s music to the ears of Byron Buxton, who’s made a career out of grabbing extra bases when they wouldn’t normally be available.

Byron Buxton flirting with Minnesota Twins history

There was a time that Byron Buxton was a light-hitting speedster simply looking to make contact. He’s not that player anymore and his .272/.333/.551 slash line. Over the weekend he made history by stealing third base for the first time in his career, and he’s not done running.

“He’s not even close to done right now. He looks terrific. His legs, he’s flying around the bases. He’s doing everything he’d like to do. Every day he could do something different and wow you. Byron Buxton stole third base, which was awesome. He doesn’t come into my office too often, but he walked right in there after the game for some high fives. He was pretty fired up. … I’m glad he did it, just seeing the smile on his face after the game.”

Rocco Baldelli – The Athletic

Related: Twins’ Struggling Top Pick Remains Clutch

Health has always been the key for Buxton, and talking to The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman, he clearly feels healthy this late into the season for the first time in his now-extended MLB career.

So far this season, the All-Star center fielder has swiped 21 bases bases this season, on just 21 attempts. In 126 career tries, Byron has been thrown out only 12 times.

And now, NINE stolen bases stand between the long tenured Twin and something no player in franchise history has ever done before. He only has 29 home runs on the year, so he’ll have to hit one more longball too.

How historic would a Byron Buxton 30/30 season be?

But, if over the next 25 games, Byron Buxton bashes one more homer and steals those nine bags, he will become the 48th member of Major League Baseball’s 30 (HR)/30 (SB) club, and the first Twin ever to reach the statistical anomaly. Last season, only Shohei Ohtani, Jose Ramirez and Bobby Witt Jr. accomplished the historic feat.

Byron Buxton steals third base for the first time in his career and it gives him a 20/20 season pic.twitter.com/sATmaKUpRF

— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) August 30, 2025

Related: New Milestone for MN Twins Star, Top Pitcher Joining Soon

The additional home run seems like a certainty, but power can be finicky in moments like this. Nine more stolen bases, however, would require a pace Buxton has not shown all year. Then again, he’s been perfect and could kick down the pedal in the final month simply to get him over the top.

2025 is only the second season in Byron Buxton’s 11-year MLB career where he has played 100+ games in consecutive seasons. Without a doubt, he’ll get MVP votes too. But reaching the 30/30 milestone would immediately etch buck into a class only filled by the most legendary Twins of all time.

Rocco Baldelli is hoping that his lineup can continue to make noise and they’ll get some serious thump in the form of Matt Wallner on Saturday. The slugging outfielder has been on the shelf with a hamstring strain and he is now ready to roll.

His activation came with a bit of controversy after conflicting reports from Minnesota beat writers. The Athletic’s Dan Hayes suggested he would be back on Saturday. The Pioneer Press’ Betsy Helfand tweeted, and then deleted, that he would remain in Omaha with St. Paul to start the weekend.

Thankfully only one of those reports was correct and the Twins made the logical decision.

Minnesota Twins lineup gets a Matt Wallner sized boost

When the Twins lost Matt Wallner to a hamstring injury on April 15 he was among their best players this season. He is now ready to return after a month and a half on the injured list.

We have made the following roster move: pic.twitter.com/NzVjSIaFf9

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) May 31, 2025

In activating Wallner, the Minnesota Twins optioned DaShawn Keirsey Jr. to Triple-A. The speedy outfielder was the obvious choice given his available options and a current .103/.136/.156 slash line.

Minnesota can plug Matt Wallner back into a damage spot in the lineup. He is hitting .263/.373/.474 across 18 games this season. His on-base prowess earned him an extended look as the leadoff hitter. Wallner is known for his power, but had just hit his first home run not long before suffering the injury.

You better believe he did it AGAIN. Make it a home run in three straight games for @Matt_Wallner, 2nd time in his Saints career he has done that. Now 7 shy of the all-time franchise mark. This three-run homer puts us up 3-1. Seriously, he wants that record. pic.twitter.com/hmDRmLHQn5

— St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) May 30, 2025

If Wallner is healthy, and his rehab slash line suggests he is (.320/.370/.960 5 HR), then he’ll resume every day run in right field. With both Byron Buxton and Harrison Bader healthy, they’ll get routine reps in center and left field respectively. Trevor Larnach can go back to a more traditional designated hitter role.

In Wallner’s absence the Twins have relied upon players like Keirsey Jr., Willi Castro, and Kody Clemens to provide extended time in the outfield corners. Wallner’s arm is a clear asset in right field, and he helps the configuration of the lineup as a whole.

Related: Three Weaknesses the Minnesota Twins Should Address Before MLB Trade Deadline

Since Wallner last appeared for Minnesota his teammates have ripped off a 25-13 record. That included a 13-game winning streak, and multiple series sweeps. The team has still been carried by pitching, but a 12-run explosion on Friday night and a positive health trend should continue to bolster the lineup.

Minnesota is in Seattle for two more contests before finishing their 10-game road trip with three games against the Athletics in Sacramento at another minor league park.

Manager Rocco Baldelli set the starting rotation over a week ago, but the rest of the roster has been more in flux, due to injuries all over the infield and in the bullpen. Monday, however, has brought more clarity to the Opening Day roster than anything we’ve seen since the starters were set.

Two New Minnesota Twins make Opening Day roster

In somewhat suprise fashion, two career minor leaguers were told on Monday by Rocco Baldelli that they will make the final cut for the 2025 Minnesota Twins Opening Day roster, which will be on display for the first time this Thursday, in St. Louis.

DaShawn Keirsey Jr. has also been informed that he has made the Opening Day roster.

— Betsy Helfand (@betsyhelfand) March 24, 2025

Mickey Gasper showed us a picture of a nasty cut but says he’s doing okay after getting six stitches. He was just informed he’s making the roster.

— Betsy Helfand (@betsyhelfand) March 24, 2025

The Minnesota Twins traded for Mickey Gasper over the offseason, and he spent Spring Training proving himself as every bit the versatile utility man they were hoping to get when they traded for him earlier this offseason

Gasper played in 13 games for the Boston Red Sox last season, as a 28-year-old rookie. He slashed .308/.417/.487 this spring in 17 games. Gasper is still looking for his first big league hit, but he’ll have an opportunity to play multiple positions with Minnesota as he seeks that milestone.

Mickey Gasper makes MN Twins roster after stitches

His spot on the roster was put in question, when Gasper suffered a serious cut on his ankle after he ran into shortstop Brandon Winokur going for a ground ball on the other side of 2nd base, Sunday. He needed six stitches and left the ballpark on crutches. Clearly, the MN Twins are confident he’ll be find.

Guess who’s making the Twins Opening Day roster?! pic.twitter.com/BqPFEcSJXb

— Ted (@tlschwerz) March 23, 2025

Similar to Gasper, Keirsey Jr. is a late-blooming prospect. He made his major league debut last season at 27 years old. The outfielder went just 2-for-13 but launched his first big league home run. This spring Keirsey Jr. owns a .275/.375/.375 line in 18 games.

DeShawn Keirsey Jr makes Twins roster too

Still, DaShawn Keirsey Jr’s spot on the roster has been more in question. Outfield hasn’t hasn’t seen the same injury issues as the infield. All he had to do was beat out former first round pick Austin Martin, who was optioned down to Triple A on Monday. Keirsey Jr, a former 4th round draft pick out of Utah, gets rewarded for a strong spring.

What also hurt Keirsey’s chances of making the roster was his left-handedness. Both Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner are left-handed. The Twins would have preferred another righty option in the outfield.

Related: Failed Twins Experiment is Back in the AL Central

Nonetheless, Baldelli & Co opted to bring his best talent, not lineup fit. Keirsey Jr. and Harrison Bader on either side of Byron Buxton in center field would make for arguably the best defensive outfield in baseball.

Minnesota can also utilize Keirsey Jr.’s speed on the basepaths. He went 3-for-4 stealing bases during Grapefruit League action. Last season, at Triple-A St. Paul, Keirsey Jr. went 36-for-43 on stolen base attempts.

Offensive/Defensive depth chart set for Minnesota Twins

Austin Martin’s transition to the outfield is still a work in progress. Last season, Martin was worth -13 defensive runs saved -7 outs above average, while playing outfield. That hurt him this spring, when competing with Keirsey Jr.

More time at St. Paul will give Martin an ability to continue refining his new position. Across 16 Grapefruit League games, Martin slashed .275/.333/.325. Minnesota begins the regular season on Thursday March 27th in St. Louis against the Cardinals First pitch is set for 3:15pm CT.

Both Brooks Lee (back) and Royce Lewis (hamstring) will start the year on the injured list for the Minnesota Twins. The former should be back sooner than the latter, but Baldelli will be hoping he gets a pair of his top talents back in short order.

Brock Stewart is not going to be in the bullpen this week, after he suffered a hamstring injury earlier in camp. He’s back on the mound and pitching in spring games again, but he is being handled carefully after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery. 

Then, there’s former top prospect Brooks Lee, who was scratched from the MN Twins’ lineup last week with a back injury, a chronic issue he’ll have to learn how to maintain if he’s going to have a successful Big League career. But with Opening Day taking place this week in St. Louis, the final 26-man roster is starting to take shape.

Minnesota Twins make decisions on Brooks Lee and Eiberson Castellano

After Lee was scratched on Thursday, the MN Twins suggested his status was day-to-day. Unfortunately, his chronic back pain will not allow him to return that early, and it’s almost certain, at this point, that he too misses Opening Day.

#MNTwins roster starting to take shape. Rule 5 pitcher Eiberson Castellanos has learned he won't make the team. Brock Stewart and Brooks Lee are starting the season on the IL.
Four players for three spots on position side.
One reliever job up for grabs.

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) March 23, 2025

Lee struggled during his first season at the big league level. Across 50 games as a rookie, the 2022 No. 8 overall pick batted slashed a frustrating .221/.265/.320 with 10 extra-base hits (three home runs) and a 27/11 K/BB.

As a prospect, Lee has crushed fastballs. He’s a pure hitter who makes a lot of solid contact. That got lost last season, which could have been a byproduct of his back issues. The hope would be that Minnesota can get him right quickly this time around, and he can be a viable option for the majority of the season.

Related: Minnesota Twins Pitcher to Begin Season on Injured List

Another announcement came with the Lee news in the form of a Rule 5 decision. Eiberson Castellano was the Phillies minor league pitcher of the year last season and got scooped up by Minnesota. Across 10 2/3 innings during Grapefruit League play, Castellano put up a 13/10 K/BB and sealed his fate.

The Twins likely wanted to carry Castellano, but they needed to see enough from him to warrant it. Now Minnesota must expose Castellano back to waivers. If he clears, then they could attempt to work out a trade with Philadelphia. They did have preliminary talks prior to selecting him in the Rule 5 Draft, so that remains a possible outcome.

What do the Minnesota Twins do with their bullpen?

Things have changed quite a bit since our latest roster projection. Royce Lewis is going to begin the year on the injured list. Stewart and Lee will join him there. Minnesota needed to make eight more decisions as of Saturday night. Castellano and Lee cross two off that list.

The bullpen options remaining in camp include veterans Scott Blewett and Anthony Misiewicz. The former pitched for Minnesota last season and has had a good spring. He has a 5/2 K/BB across six innings. However, Blewett has been informed he will not make the team.

Related: Chronic Back Injury Causing Problems for MN Twins Infielder Again

The latter has 115 2/3 major league innings under his belt, and a 7/1 K/BB this spring. He is a viable option for the final bullpen spot. Minnesota will also be scouring the waiver wire to see who is released. Another path forward could be to recall someone like Kody Funderburk, who was previously cut from camp.

Misiewicz is with the Twins as a non-roster invitee. He signed as a free agent this offseason. Like Funderburk, Misiewicz is left-handed and would give Minnesota a second southpaw to pair with Danny Coulombe in relief.

Who takes the final position player spot for the Twins?

On the position player side of things it comes down to the group of Mickey Gasper, Austin Martin, DaShawn Keirsey Jr., Armando Alvarez, Edouard Julien, and Mike Ford. Gasper looked to already have an inside track, and Julien gets helped by Lee’s injury. The final outfield spot is where the most contentious battle comes.

Keirsey Jr. has had a solid spring with a .243/.356/.351 slash line. He’s a better outfielder than Martin, and is arguably the same or better speed threat. Unfortunately he’s left-handed and that puts him at a disadvantage considering Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner’s handedness.

DaShawn Keirsey Jr. drives in the go-ahead run vs. #RedSox. Twins end up with the 2-1 win.

Keirsey has more than earned a shot at considerable time in the majors this year. Opportunity awaits.#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/nMMALbHfiM

— Talkin' Twins (@TalkinTwins) March 21, 2025

Martin has batted just .243/.310/.270 across 43 plate appearances this spring. He won’t ever hit for power, but is a contact guy who utilizes his speed and has successfully stolen three bases in three attempts this spring. It seems like being right-handed will give him the role, but Minnesota could decide otherwise.

Related: New MN Twins Starting Outfielder Named 2025 Breakout Candidate

Rocco Baldelli has just a couple of days left to set his Opening Day roster. The Minnesota Twins are projected to win the AL Central this season. Even with a few bumps coming out of the spring, they are well-positioned. The good news, at least for now, is that none of these injury issues seem to be too incredibly long term.

The marathon towards October is about to kick off. Minnesota must run it in a much more complete fashion than they did last season.

Minnesota Twins finally make a move on Max Kepler

The German right fielder has been dealing with knee soreness for a few days now. He was scratched from recent lineups, as he’s tried to work through the pain. It’s likely the issue stems from much further back, however.

Since June, Kepler has hit a terrible .239/.278/.331, across 66 games. He has done this charade in previous seasons, as well. Playing through injury is one thing, but when it hurts the team, who are you helping? But finally, the Twins have seen enough.

Surreeeee would be nice if you would've just put a banged up player on the injured list who can't play every day instead of taking up a bench spot, but hey, that's just me. #MNTwins

— Declan Goff (@DexsTweets) September 4, 2024

The Twins continued to run Kepler out, because of his defense. With Byron Buxton out, he was the only plus-defender available to Rocco Baldelli. No doubt Kepler is an asset in right field, which is even more reason to get him healthy. Hopefully, he has enough time to heal, prior to the playoffs. That could be part of the decision to put him on the shelf now. But why oh why did we wait this long?

Related: Byron Buxton Going Back on Twins Shelf After Apparent Setback

Kepler is in the final year of a six-year deal he signed around the same time as Jorge Polanco, who was traded last offseason. Kepler, a fan favorite, has generated nearly 20.0 fWAR with Minnesota, but his offensive production leaves plenty to be desired, especially in terms of consistency. Outside of the 2019 season with a juiced baseball, Kepler never really realized his potential, offensively.

Who is Twins DaShawn Keirsey Jr.?

DaShawn Keirsey Jr. was the Minnesota Twins fourth round pick during the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft. Taken from the University of Utah, the outfielder is 27 years old. Across 471 minor league games he owns a .759 OPS, but has posted .821 and .839 OPS tallies for the Saints over the last two years.

Similar to Byron Buxton, Keirsey is an excellent defender. A right-handed Keirsey Jr. would have been on the roster weeks ago. He immediately becomes the best center fielder on the Twins roster, and should serve well as a regular defensive replacement, late in games. Keirsey Jr. is more contact than power, at the plate, but can have some sneaky pop, as well.

DaShawn Keirsey Jr. makes a STELLAR catch to save a run from scoring!

The Surge trail Springfield 4-1 heading to the 4th. #WindSurge pic.twitter.com/JXzuQwKBA7

— Wichita Wind Surge (@WindSurgeICT) July 2, 2022

He continues to have an incredible season. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. with this 2-run blast, his 14th homer of the season, one shy of his career high. He now has 68 RBI, 7 shy of the franchise record of 75. Hitting .300/.394/.483/.877 in the month of August@ticasino pic.twitter.com/aeaQXzWtsR

— St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) August 23, 2024

Strikeouts are definitely something that Keirsey Jr. is susceptible to, but he draws his fair share of walks. On the basepaths he can be a menace, and should be used for the postseason roster.

He has stolen 117 bases the past three seasons and has been caught just 19 times. The stolen base threat is something Minnesota doesn’t really have on their current roster.

Related: Minnesota Twins Play Royce Lewis at 2nd Base Against His Wishes

It is possible that Rocco Baldelli goes with all left-handed outfields to start against right-handed pitchers. Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner would flank Keirsey Jr. in that scenario.

the #mntwins are calling up dashawn keirsey jr

he’s slashing .340/.395/.528 with 11 extra base hits since aug 1

this year he added a pre-swing move that can only be described as royce lewis-esque ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/oK3Gtv7HgA

— parker hageman (@HagemanParker) September 5, 2024