Ryan Jeffers slugs 14th home run in win Saturday

It’s a planned day off, though he did appear to get his bell rung late in Tuesday’s contest. Jeffers had caught nine games in a row. With him resting today, Victor Caratini is starting for the first time since Aug. 29.

Jeffers’ home run was his 13th of the season. He hit a three-run shot off Tigers reliever Kyle Finnegan in the sixth inning. Jeffers has three home runs and seven RBI in his last two games. He’s hitting .278 with an .891 OPS and 49 RBI this year.

Jeffers now has 12 home runs on the season. He hit a three-run shot off Jackson Jobe in the fifth inning and added a solo shot off Tigers reliever Yilber Diaz in the seventh inning. Jeffers was hitting .222 with no home runs and six RBI in 24 games in August entering play Monday, but finished the month on a high note. He’s hitting .275 with an .870 OPS and 46 this year.

The Twins could only muster two hits in this game as Royals’ starter Noah Cameron tossed an eight inning gem and Jeffers accounted for exactly half of them. He also had the two hardest hit balls Cameron allowed and seemed to be the only guy who consistently got good swings off against him. Since coming off the injured list, he has a .259 batting average and three home runs in 16 games as he tries to regain his first half form.

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.