Alex

Jackson

Jackson, who was DFA’d on Friday, is now back on the Twins’ major league roster after clearing waivers. The return of a third catcher suggests that Victor Caratini will be getting some extra playing time at DH and/or first base.

The Twins needed to get their roster back down to 26 players following Thursday’s Field of Dreams game and unfortunately for Jackson he was the odd man out this time. He could generate some interest on waivers given the lack of quality catching depth around the league.

Jackson was hitting .239/.295/.511 in 95 plate appearances at Triple-A with seven home runs and 15 RBI. He will likely back up Victor Caratini, who now becomes a must-roster catcher in two-catcher leagues.

Jackson remains with Minnesota as emergency catching depth behind Ryan Jeffers and Victor Caratini. The 30-year-old backstop has gotten into 161 games between six different organizations since 2019.

The Twins traded for Jackson in November thinking that he’d be Ryan Jeffers’ backup, but then they later made Victor Caratini their biggest offseason addition and they didn’t want to carry three catchers. Fortunately, he was able to clear waivers, allowing the team to preserve its catching depth.

The 29-year-old backstop was likely to be non-tendered by the Orioles, so they were willing to flip him for anything that they could get at this stage. Jackson hit just .220/.290/.473 with five homers, eight RBI and a 37/5 K/BB ratio over 100 plate appearances with the O’s in 2025. He should have a chance to compete to be the primary backup behind Ryan Jeffers to open the 2026 season.

Samuel Basallo will shift to DH with Alex Jackson starting behind the plate. Mountcastle has hit .282/.325/.409 in 28 games since coming off the IL with three home runs, 16 RBI, and two steals. He should be back in the starting lineup on Friday and remains the favorite to start at first base for the Orioles in 2026.

It’ll be Alex Jackson handling the catching duties in this one. Basallo figures to receive some extra time off to rest and recover after suffering a right hand injury during Saturday’s game when he was struck by a foul ball. The 21-year-old top prospect has shown some flashes of immense long-term potential, but he’s also batting just .204 (11-for-54) across 16 games in his first taste of the big leagues.

Orioles’ skipper Tony Mansolino clarified on Thursday that this oblique strain is the opposite side of the past one that Rutschman dealt with. No word on how long he’ll be shelved for. Daniel Johnson was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk in a corresponding move on Thursday. Samuel Basallo will start behind the plate in his place on Thursday and will bat sixth against Astros’ right-hander Jason Alexander. Expect him to share the load behind the plate with Alex Jackson while Rutschman is out.

It’s Alex Jackson, not Samuel Basallo, taking over behind the plate on Tuesday night at Fenway Park. Obviously any sort of extended absence would result in Basallo taking over as Baltimore’s primary catcher and significantly boost his fantasy appeal for a couple weeks. There should be an update on his status at some point prior to Thursday’s series opener against the Astros.