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Minnesota Twins' Derek Shelton Shares the Plan for Alex Jackson
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- Minnesota Twins' Derek Shelton Shares the Plan for Alex Jackson
(Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
Minnesota Twins catcher Alex Jackson was recalled to the big-league roster on Monday, just three days after being designated for assignment. He was recalled to take the active roster spot of outfielder Austin Martin , who landed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain.
Jackson went unclaimed passing through waivers when Minnesota designated him, which was a pleasant surprise, and he was outrighted to Triple-A. Jackson did have the ability to reject the assignment, but in doing so would have had to forfeit his $1.35 million salary, so he chose to remain in the organization instead.
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With Jackson back on the roster, Twins reporter Aaron Gleeman asked manager Derek Shelton for clarification on his role and whether the team was considering letting him replace Martin in the outfield instead of being the third-string catcher.
Martin and Jackson are both right-handed hitters who mash left-handed pitching, making the idea make sense on paper, especially considering Jackson has played in the outfield in the minor leagues.
Shelton shut down the idea while acknowledging Jackson's versatility. "No. That's a good question, and I appreciate you asking that. It's one of the things that's very appealing about Jackson, is the fact that, if you watch him, he'll go out and shag, he takes ground balls at third base. Him playing first base was, basically, he was taking ground balls at third, and it was like, oh hell, I think we can move him across the diamond and do that."
He continued, "He throws with our outfielders. He has the ability, in game, if something did go awry, that we would be able to put him out there. But no, I do not envision him going in for that specific role."
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This is Jackson's first year in Minnesota after being dealt to the organization this past offseason in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles . At the time of the deal he was expected to be the backup for Ryan Jeffers behind the plate, but the Twins decided to sign Victor Caratini as the backup instead.
That decision essentially pushed Jackson into the third-string catcher role, which is what prompted Shelton being asked whether his role might expand.
Jackson's playing time has been limited this season as the third-string option, but when he has been available he has been a solid hitter against left-handed pitching. Overall the 30-year-old journeyman is hitting .303 with a .333 on-base percentage and .742 OPS across 66 at-bats.
Unfortunately, barring another injury to Jeffers, he will likely not get many more opportunities to prove what he is capable of in the final weeks of the season .
