Twins Place Ryan Jeffers on Injured List After Leaving Game
The Minnesota Twins were dealt an unfortunate blow on Tuesday.
Among other roster moves, the Twins placed catcher Ryan Jeffers on the injured list with a fractured hamate bone in his left hand. Jeffers left Minnesota's 6-3 win over the Houston Astros on Monday in the middle of a plate appearance in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Facing Houston's AJ Blubaugh, the 28-year-old backstop broke his bat on a first-pitch cutter and called out trainers after taking the next pitch. Backup catcher Victor Caratini finished the plate appearance and finished the game behind the dish. Jeffers' injury was initially diagnosed as a left wrist sprain, but has since been identified as a hamate bone fracture.
Strange sequence in the #MnTwins game.
— Chris Long (@ChrisLongKSTP) May 19, 2026
Ryan Jeffers broke his bat on a swing, looked ok, took the next pitch, stepped out, called time, left the game.
Hard to tell what happened.
(https://t.co/BBqYdDCQqD) pic.twitter.com/cQJl8uPMH9
Jeffers' placement on the IL wasn't the only noteworthy roster move the Twins made, as they optioned the talented but injury-prone Royce Lewis to the Triple-A St. Paul Saints after a poor start to the year. With Caratini becoming the starting catcher, Minnesota called up Alex Jackson as the corresponding move for Jeffers.
In contrast to Lewis, Jeffers was off to a fantastic start to the 2026 season. The seven-year veteran had already established himself as one of MLB's best hitting catchers with an impressive .858 OPS in 2023 and 21 home runs in 2024, but his production was reaching new heights. Through 37 games, Jeffers hit .295/.408/.541 with 15 extra-base hits (seven of which were home runs) and a 165 wRC+ with as many walks as strikeouts (23). Coupled with serviceable blocking and framing behind the plate, he already amassed 1.7 fWAR and was on pace to far surpass his previous best of 2.3 fWAR in 2023.
Ryan Jeffers answers right back and retakes the lead for the @Twins! pic.twitter.com/agJlDH0yJo
— MLB (@MLB) May 17, 2026
What makes this injury particularly devastating to both Jeffers and the Twins is the long-term effects even after returning. Hamate fractures are notorious for sapping a hitter's power for an extended period, so it may be a while before Jeffers' fence-clearing pop returns in full force. It doesn't help that the fracture occurred in his catching hand, which likely limits him to DH duties upon returning.
Caratini, 32, will almost certainly be the starting catcher in the interim. The switch-hitter has brought a serviceable bat over the last two seasons with a 108 wRC+, but has struggled immensely so far with a .192/.299/.231 slash line in 127 plate appearances this year.
The loss of Jeffers is yet another blow to a Twins team already ravaged by injuries. Other players on the IL include top outfield prospects Walter Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez, and pitchers Mick Abel, Taj Bradley, Cole Sands and David Festa. Star outfielder Byron Buxton is also day-to-day with a sore right hip flexor.
Despite all the attrition and a middling 22-26 record, the Twins are only 4.5 games out of first place in a very weak AL Central. They will continue their series against the Astros at 7:40 PM Eastern at Target Field.
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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 10:47 AM.