Manager Rocco Baldelli said Thursday that Jeffers will operate as more of an everyday catcher going forward, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Jeffers and Christian Vazquez each made 81 starts behind the plate last season, and they've had a fairly even split of playing time early in 2025 with 14 and 11 starts, respectively. Vazquez's continued offensive struggles (career .581 OPS with Minnesota) will finally prompt a strategy change, with Jeffers now poised to operate as more of a clear No. 1 catcher. The 27-year-old hasn't been particularly productive through 67 plate appearances himself with a .254/.343/.339 slash line, but he had a .732 OPS in 2024 and carries more upside than Vazquez.
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Twins' Ryan Jeffers: Getting breather Thursday
Rotowire
Jeffers is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the White Sox.
He will yield to Christian Vazquez at catcher for Thursday's matinee. Jeffers had started each of the previous seven contests, including six of them at catcher.
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Twins' Ryan Jeffers: Taking seat Monday
Rotowire
Jeffers is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets.
Jeffers returned to action Sunday following a two-game absence with a swollen thumb, but he's now back on the bench for Monday's series opener. He has not had any known setback, so this appears to be a routine day off for Jeffers. Christian Vazquez will do the catching and bat ninth for the Twins.
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Twins' Ryan Jeffers: Back in action Sunday
Rotowire
Jeffers (thumb) will start at catcher and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Tigers.
Jeffers will return to the lineup after being on the bench for the last two games due to a swollen thumb. Christian Vazquez will exit the lineup to make room behind the plate for Jeffers, who has gone 7-for-32 (.219 average) with zero home runs, four RBI and one run through his first nine games.
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Twins' Ryan Jeffers: Sitting out Saturday
Rotowire
Jeffers (thumb) is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against Detroit.
Jeffers ended Friday's contest with a bloody thumb that later began to swell, per Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic, so he'll take a seat Saturday while Christian Vazquez picks up a second consecutive start behind the plate. Manager Rocco Baldelli said Jeffers may still be available off the bench Saturday, so it doesn't seem like the 27-year-old will need to spend time on the injured list.
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Twins' Ryan Jeffers: Heading to bench Wednesday
Rotowire
Jeffers is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Royals.
Jeffers will take a seat for the second time in the series as he and Christian Vazquez continue their pattern of alternating starts behind the dish. Through seven games this season, Jeffers is hitting .222 with zero home runs, three RBI and one run.
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Twins' Ryan Jeffers: Getting Monday off
Rotowire
Jeffers is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Royals.
Jeffers and Christian Vazquez continue to alternate turns behind the plate, with neither player having yet made two consecutive starts at catcher through the Twins' first 10 games. Expect that trend to persist throughout the season as manager Rocco Baldelli aims to keep both backstops fresh.
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Twins' Ryan Jeffers: Out of Saturday's lineup
Rotowire
Jeffers isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Houston.
Jeffers will take a day off after going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts during a loss in Friday's series opener. His absence will allow Christian Vazquez to start behind the dish while batting ninth.
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Twins' Ryan Jeffers: Getting breather Wednesday
Rotowire
Jeffers is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox.
It's a routine day off for Jeffers, who has now been in the lineup for four of the first six contests of the season. The Twins will roll with Christian Vazquez at catcher and in the ninth spot in the batting order for Wednesday's game.
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Twins' Ryan Jeffers: Reaches base thrice Monday
Rotowire
Jeffers went 1-for-2 with two walks in Monday's 9-0 loss to the White Sox.
Jeffers took a break from catching duties Monday to serve as the designated hitter, and he was responsible for one of the Twins' two hits Monday. The 27-year-old is looking to improve on a 2024 campaign in which he logged career highs in home runs (21) and RBI (64). Jeffers will likely return behind home plate for Tuesday's contest.
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Twins' Ryan Jeffers: Serving as DH on Monday
Rotowire
Jeffers will start at designated hitter and bat third in Monday's game against the White Sox.
With the Twins kicking off their three-game series in Chicago with a day game, Jeffers will get a break from catching duties after he was behind the plate for eight innings in Sunday's 9-2 loss to the Cardinals. However, the Twins will keep Jeffers' bat in the lineup by using him at DH, while the lefty-hitting Matt Wallner takes a seat against White Sox lefty Martin Perez.
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Twins' Ryan Jeffers: Sitting down Saturday
Rotowire
Jeffers isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against St. Louis.
Jeffers and Christian Vazquez are expected to split reps behind the dish this season, and the Twins will give the latter a chance to start Saturday after Jeffers started the season opener Thursday.
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Twins' Ryan Jeffers: Set to split catching duties
Rotowire
Jeffers went 1-for-3 with a double in Saturday's spring training win over Atlanta. He's hitting .290 (9-for-31) this spring.
Jeffers stirred All-Star talk with a hot start to last season, hitting 12 home runs with an .892 OPS though his first 51 games. He faded in the second half though, managing seven home runs with a .632 OPS over his final 47 contests. Expect the Twins to make sure he gets plenty of rest as a result, as the team is expected to split playing time behind the plate between Jeffers and Christian Vazquez.
Twins' Ryan Jeffers: Avoids arbitration with Minnesota
Rotowire
The Twins and Jeffers avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $4.55 million contract Thursday, Darren Wolfson of Channel 5 Saint Paul reports.
Jeffers had been eligible for salary arbitration for a second time. The catcher took a step back offensively in 2024 with a .226/.300/.432 batting line but still cranked a career-high 21 home runs. He's currently slated to share catching duties with Christian Vazquez in 2025.
