After a sweep that left the Twins’ offense stuck in neutral outside the first inning, Minnesota turned to an unlikely solution: Alex Jackson.
Yes, that Alex Jackson - the catcher who had already been occupying a bench spot as a third catcher since Ryan Jeffers returned a month ago. After being off the 40-man roster for 72 hours, GM Jeremy Zoll brought him back Wednesday after Austin Martin landed on the IL that morning.
It’s the kind of move that makes sense only because of the roster math. The Twins would love to have Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez, or even Matt Wallner in the mix, but getting one of those left-handed bats into the lineup would probably mean sitting one of Trevor Larnach, Byron Buxton, Luke Keaschall, Kody Clemens, Josh Bell, or Royce Lewis. That’s not happening right now, at least not with those hitters still ranking among the team’s best options.
Jackson, though, isn’t changing much. In the last three weeks, he has started zero games, logged one plate appearance, and played just four innings in the field. For a team whose offense has sat in the bottom 10 in nearly every meaningful category since the All-Star Break, that’s a tough way to spend a roster spot.
There are alternatives, too, even if they’re all imperfect. Aaron Sabato has a 1.114 OPS against left-handed pitching this season.
Ben Ross is a right-handed utility player with a 1.011 OPS versus lefties in 2026, basically “Ryan Kreidler part two” as the source framed it. Kala’i Rosario has struggled against lefties this year, but he posted a .900-plus OPS against them in each season from 2023-2025.
Gabriel Gonzalez hasn’t had a great year, but there’s still upside and he can play left field against lefties. Kyler Fedko is out for the season with an ACL tear, though he is still probably faster than Jackson.
Then there are the right-handed bats who have been released by bad teams over the past few weeks: Starling Marte, Gabriel Arias, Jorge Soler, Marcel Ozuna, and Joey Wiemer. Each has shown some ability to hit left-handed pitching recently and would at least be worth a look.
Instead, the Twins remain one of three teams carrying three catchers. The others are the St. Louis Cardinals, who are only there on a technicality because All-Star Ivan Herrera is still technically a catcher even though 80% of his playing time has come at DH, and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
The matchup on deck offers a chance to get something going. Atlanta is starting Martin Perez, the former Twins left-hander whose profile still looks a lot like it did in 2019 in Minnesota: too many walks, not enough strikeouts, but enough weak ground balls to keep the damage manageable.
Even with the frustration, Minnesota is still just 1.5 games out of a playoff spot. The schedule also softens after this week.
Starting next Monday, the Twins have only three series left against teams currently above .500 - one against the Yankees and two against the White Sox, who are still the White Sox despite leading this awful division. Survive this week at .500, and the path ahead looks a lot cleaner.
Lineups
Twins: Bailey Ober, SP
1.
Luke Keaschall, RF
2.
Byron Buxton, CF
3.
Ryan Jeffers, C
4.
Josh Bell, DH
5.
Royce Lewis, 1B
6.
Kody Clemens, 2B
7.
Brooks Lee, 3B
8.
Kaelen Culpepper, SS
9.
Alan Roden, LF
Braves: Martin Perez (LHP), SP
1.
Drake Baldwin, C
2.
Ronald Acuña Jr., DH
3.
Matt Olson, 1B
4.
Michael Harris II, CF
5.
Mauricio Dubon, LF
6.
Ozzie Albies, 2B
7.
Mike Yastrzemski, RF
8.
Austin Riley, 3B
9.
Jim Jarvis, SS
In Other News...
Twins May Have Already Moved On From Two Deadline Survivors
The Twins spent the days leading into the August 3 trade deadline adding pitching, but they also kept a couple of notable names in place even as their long-term fits came into focus. Ryan Jeffers remains part of the catching picture for now, and Trevor Larnach stayed put after drawing serious interest, leaving Minnesota with a roster that still has some sorting to do as it looks ahead to the next phase.
Jeffers could be part of a crowded future behind the plate, with the organization carrying multiple catching prospects and a decision looming beyond this season. Larnachs situation is different but no less unsettled, since Minnesota already came close to moving him and may revisit that possibility in the offseason if it needs to clear space for a top prospect. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Rotation Trouble Could Force A Risky Veteran Gamble
The Twins rotation has been a problem for most of August, and the lack of stable starting pitching has put extra pressure on the front office to find help without making a major commitment. One possible name is Michael Lorenzen, who has been available in a limited sense after a rough 2026 season but still carries the kind of track record that can make a low-cost gamble look appealing when a staff is short on answers.
Minnesota has had chances to circle back on Lorenzen before and stayed away, but the current situation is different enough to reopen the conversation. With the rotation under strain and the schedule offering little room to wait for things to sort themselves out, the question is whether the Twins are ready to revisit a familiar arm and see if a change of scenery can buy them some much-needed innings. [Read more 🡒]