Twins activate Ryan Jeffers (hamate) off IL

Jeffers hit a three-run homer off Cubs starter Colin Rea in the third inning to cap a four-run inning for the Twins. The homers was the eighth of the season for Jeffers, who is playing only his third game in the month of July after returning last week from a hamate injury. Jeffers has hit safely in all three games since his return and has three extra-base hits to his name over that span.

Jeffers was back behind the plate and hitting second after missing more than seven weeks recovering from a hamate fracture in his left hand. The 29-year-old represents a decent option for fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues as a reliable power source at the position, while his lackluster supporting cast in Minnesota limits his counting stats upside.

Jeffers had surgery to remove his fracture hamate bone in the middle of May. He has now played four games at Triple-A and gone 6-for-13 with two home runs, two RBI, and a 1/1 K/BB ratio. It’s unclear if the Twins will rush him back before the All-Star break, but he needs to be stashed in any league where you are hoping to get him back into your starting lineup.

He’s going to DH tonight for the Saints. Jeffers probably figures to be activated in the near future. Hamate surgery is known to sap some power, but it’s plausible that Jeffers finds his way into the one-catcher league radar and he makes an interesting short-term stash in two-catcher leagues.

Jeffers is reportedly getting close to a rehab assignment. His return will be one to monitor even in shallow leagues, as Jeffers was hitting .295/.408/.541 before going down with the injury in late May.

Ragazzo adds sources told Athlon Sports that Minnesota’s new owner Tom Pohlad might want to head in the opposite direction by adding at the trade deadline, which is roughly six weeks away, to make a playoff push given the current state of the American League. It looks like the Twins could potentially be sellers at the deadline for the second consecutive season after putting together a fire sale for the ages last summer. It’ll likely come down to whether they inch closer to playoff contention over the next couple weeks.

Jeffers had surgery on May 20th to fix his fractured hamate bone. The original timeline was four to six weeks, so it’s nice to see that the cast is already off. He has not resumed swinging a bat, but that should come towards the middle of June.

This is a brutal blow for Jeffers, who was having his best season ever. The 29-year-old was slashing .295/.408/.541 in 147 plate appearances with seven home runs and 26 RBI. He will be sidelined for a couple of months and could see his power diminished when he does return. Sadly, he doesn’t need to be held in fantasy leagues.

Jeffers is off to a fantastic start to his season, so it’d be a shame if he landed on the IL with an injury apparently sustained on a broken-bat foul ball tonight. Alex Jackson would be the obvious choice to replace him on the roster, though since he’s out of options, the team could instead go to Noah Cardenas or David Bañuelos if they think it’d be a short IL stint for Jeffers. That way, the Twins wouldn’t risk losing Jackson when Jeffers returns.

Jeffers broke his bat the first pitch of an at-bat, took two balls and then basically just walked off the field. The best guess here is that it’s a hand problem, but we’ll find out soon.