ARLINGTON -- With six games to play in the season, the Twins got both of their catchers back, and they both made an impact right away.
Christian Vázquez singled, walked twice, stole his first base of the year and guided starter Zebby Matthews through one of the best outings of his career, while Ryan Jeffers singled in a run and walked in the Twins’ 4-1 win against the Rangers on Tuesday at Globe Life Field. Both catchers had been activated from the injured list within the past 36 hours.
Jeffers was reinstated from the 7-day concussion IL Tuesday after missing 16 games due to a concussion he suffered on Sept. 4. Vázquez had been activated Monday after missing seven weeks as the result of an infection in his left shoulder.
Vázquez started behind the plate in Tuesday’s series opener against the Rangers at Globe Life Field, while Jeffers got the call at designated hitter against lefty Patrick Corbin. The two are expected to split the catching 50-50 over the remaining six games.
“When you retire, you’re going to miss this,” Vázquez said. “I feel like it’s not cool to finish the season on the IL. I feel like my teammates don’t deserve that. I was trying to do my best to get back and we did it. We’re here.”
For Vázquez, the return had been targeted for quite some time. His situation until this point had primarily been a matter of baseball readiness. For Jeffers, however, the return was less black and white, due to the uncertainty of a concussion. He said he’s been feeling normal for about a week.
“It's [mostly about] getting back for a couple games at the end of the year to check that box,” Jeffers said. “You couldn't really put a timeline on it. You had to be symptom-free before you could even start taking the protocols to clear the concussion protocol. It was slowly building up stuff. I definitely wanted to get back but we didn't know what that was going to look like.”
To make room for Vázquez, the club optioned outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. to Triple-A St. Paul. To clear a roster spot for Jeffers, catcher Jhonny Pereda was optioned to St. Paul. However, Pereda will remain with the club on the taxi squad for the remainder of the season.
It was a very unfamiliar situation for the Twins to be without either of their two primary catchers, who had handled virtually every inning behind the plate dating back to the beginning of the 2023 season.
In the absence of the two regulars, Pereda and Mickey Gasper had split time behind the plate. Pereda was a pleasant surprise offensively during his time on the roster, hitting .345 with four doubles in 32 plate appearances.
“Mickey and Johnny, I do want to say that they worked exceptionally hard and came in and did everything you could possibly do to prepare and put our pitchers in the best possible spot,” said manager Rocco Baldelli. “There's a chance that one of those guys or two of those end up catching at some point before the end of the year, too.
"But all that said, when you've worked with a couple of catchers, basically for years and then you have to change, there's a real adjustment there. Getting that comfort for -- even if it's just the last week of the season -- will probably be a welcome thing for most of our pitchers.”
Jeffers sports a .262/.353/.394 line in 114 games this season, mostly behind the plate but also seeing extensive time at designated hitter. Vázquez, who is a free agent at the end of the season, is hitting .174/.251/.247 but is regarded as an outstanding defender.