Ryan Jeffers notches one hit in loss to Royals

Jeffers is a free agent after this season and is, according to Passan, “unlikely to re-sign in Minnesota,” which makes it likely he will be moved at the deadline. Passan notes that the Yankees seem to line up best, but the Red Sox and Rays are also in the market for a catcher and could be possible landing spots for Jeffers. Landing in Fenway Park could provide an intriguing boost for Jeffers with the Green Monster in left field, but the Twins are the highest-scoring offense in the American League, so you’re not actually going to get a massive value boost for Jeffers no matter where he goes. He will remain a rock-solid fantasy contributor though.

Jeffers laced a 402-foot shot at 106.1 mph off the bat against Parker Messick in the first inning. It was Jeffers’ ninth home run and 32nd RBI of the season. The 29-year-old has been very productive when healthy this season, which is why he is continuing to attract plenty of attention on the trade market. If the Twins continue to fall out of the playoff race, Jeffers could be on a new team by August.

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 should slot right back into the main catching role for the Twins and be an acceptable catcher off the bat in 12-team leagues. It’s worth noting that hamate injuries often sap power going forward, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Jeffers lost a few points off his slugging percentage going forward. Still, he’s been a good enough hitter that the Twins will be thrilled to play him again.

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.