MINNEAPOLIS – Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers was removed from Monday’s 6-3 win against the Astros due to a sprained left wrist. He will be examined further on Tuesday.
Leading off the bottom of the eighth, Jeffers fouled off the first pitch against reliever AJ Blubaugh and broke his bat. He felt discomfort in his wrist on that swing, but stayed in for two more pitches.
He took them both for balls, took a timeout, then stepped away. Manager Derek Shelton and athletic trainer Masa Abe came out to check on Jeffers, who walked off the field and left the game.
“I was kind of going through the mental battle of whether I could swing or not and then yeah, made the decision,” he said. “We’ll know more tomorrow.”
Victor Caratini pinch-hit for Jeffers and stayed in to catch.
Jeffers is enjoying the best season of his career, hitting .295 with a .408 on-base percentage, a .541 slugging percentage, seven home runs and 26 RBIs. He doubled and scored earlier on Monday night.
Jeffers and Caratini are the only catchers on the Twins’ 40-man roster, so if they have to make a move with Jeffers, they will have to add a player. Alex Jackson would most likely be the choice. The veteran backstop has a .239/.295/.511 slash line in 95 plate appearances at Triple-A St. Paul this year.