Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers will have surgery to repair broken left hand

Bobby Nightengale, Star Tribune on May 19, 2026

Published in Baseball

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MINNEAPOLIS — Ryan Jeffers, hitting as well as any catcher in the majors this season, will be sidelined for at least the next six weeks after he suffered a broken hamate in his left hand.

Jeffers was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, one day after he exited in the eighth inning. Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll said Jeffers is scheduled to undergo surgery Wednesday in Los Angeles and the expected timeline to return is six to eight weeks.

Jeffers, 28, injured his hand when he fouled a pitch and shattered his bat. He watched two more pitches before motioning to the training staff.

“Obviously, a tough injury,” Zoll said. “He was having an unbelievable season so far. One of those freak things with a hamate on a swing and a broken bat. We really feel for him.”

The news about Jeffers came on the same day the Twins demoted third baseman Royce Lewis to the minor leagues.

Alex Jackson was called up from Class AAA, and he will operate as the backup catcher behind Victor Caratini.

“One of the things that we were very thoughtful about this offseason was going out and getting another major league catcher in terms of Victor,” Twins manager Derek Shelton said. “Then with Jackson coming, it’s a guy that has caught in the big leagues and has the ability to catch. That does help us.

“The offensive production, we’re just going to have to fill it with multiple people because Ryan has been so good.”

It’s a brutal injury for the Twins, who lost one of their most consistent hitters from the lineup.

Jeffers batted .295 with seven homers, 26 RBIs and .949 OPS through 37 games. He had as many walks (23) as strikeouts (23), producing a .408 on-base percentage.

A free agent at the end of the season, Jeffers was operating as the team’s clear No. 1 catcher for the first time in his career. He started 28 of the team’s first 48 games behind the plate.

“It’s challenging because he’s done such a good job,” Shelton said. “On the flip side of it, I think Vic has done a really good job too. Our pitchers are really comfortable throwing to him. Then the fact that Alex was with us in spring training and caught a bunch of our guys, it’s not like we’re bringing somebody in externally that hasn’t caught our group.”

Caratini, who has started 18 games at catcher, is hitting .192 with one homer and 15 RBIs in 34 games.

Jackson, acquired in an offseason trade with Baltimore, was batting .239 with seven homers and 15 RBIs in 88 at-bats for the Class AAA St. Paul Saints.

There was a wave of big-name players who broke their hamate bones at the beginning of spring training, including Arizona’s Corbin Carroll, the Mets’ Francisco Lindor and Baltimore’s Jackson Holliday.

“The hitting coach in me has seen people react to that. That’s your first thought. When anything is with a hand, then you automatically go to the hamate,” Shelton said.

In addition, Twins top prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez will have surgery to repair a torn thumb ligament. The 23-year-old outfielder had a .923 OPS in 25 games with the St. Paul Saints.

The initial magnetic resonance imaging exam showed only a sprain because of the swelling, Zoll said, but now it’ll be a long-term absence.