Story by
MN Twins Announce Brutal Injury News; DFA Reliever
- Story by
- MN Twins Announce Brutal Injury News; DFA Reliever
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
This season was not necessarily expected to go well for the Minnesota Twins . At 22-26 , things officially have gone off the rails in mid-May.
The front office has already demoted Matt Wallner and Royce Lewis to Triple-A . Adding further insult to injury, they now lose starting catcher Ryan Jeffers and had to pull the plug on Justin Topa .
Advertisement
Ryan Jeffers suffers serious injury for MN Twins
On Monday night against the Houston Astros , Ryan Jeffers suffered a wrist injury after a swing that broke his bat. He stayed in to watch two more balls, but then pulled himself from the game.
Related Headlines
Ryan Jeffers hit this foul ball and broke his bat.
He then watched two balls and left the game. pic.twitter.com/JyhOyp4Pil— Ted (@tlschwerz) May 19, 2026
An MRI on Tuesday morning revealed that Jeffers has suffered a broken hamate bone. What next steps look like for him are not yet known, but he could undergo surgery to remove the broken hook of the hamate.
In addition to demoting Royce Lewis to the minors, the Twins also placed Ryan Jeffers on the injured list with a fractured left hamate bone.
That's a significant injury for Jeffers.
Twins have called up Orlando Arcia to replace Lewis and Alex Jackson to replace Jeffers.— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) May 19, 2026
A broken hamate bone is a relatively common injury for baseball players. It can drastically impact power production, at least in the short term. It's an unfortunate blow for Jeffers, who is batting .295 with a .949 OPS in the best season of his career.
Advertisement
The injury also comes at a terrible time for the Minnesota Twins. They now don't have Jeffers at their disposal, and he a multiple month recovery could take him off the table for trade discussions. He's in the final year of team control, and was almost certain to be moved at the deadline.
Alex Jackson, who was acquired over the offseason , will now pair with Victor Caratini as Derek Shelton's backstops. Jeffers had been amongst the best in baseball when it comes to the new ABS system, and Jackson will have big shoes to fill.
MN Twins end Justin Topa's tenure
Acquired in the Jorge Polanco trade with the Seattle Mariners , Justin Topa was supposed to be a high-leverage bullpen option. He never replicated the 2.61 ERA he posted in 2023 with the Mariners, and ballooned to an 8.05 ERA this season. After another tough outing on Monday night, his time in Minnesota looks to be over.
#MNTwins made space on the 40-man roster for Orlando Arcia by DFA'ing reliever Justin Topa.
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) May 19, 2026
Making room on the 40-man roster for recently promoted veteran Orlando Arcia , Topa has been designated for assignment. Minnesota signed Topa to a one-year deal worth $1 million this season. It's possible another team could claim him and hope to fix the problems.
Advertisement
Last season Topa posted a 3.90 ERA (3.04 FIP) with the MN Twins. His track record for health has not been good however, and he's unlikely to reinvent himself at 35 years old.
The Twins bullpen has been brutal all season, and removing a negative arm like Topa may help. That also requires whoever replaces him to show a significantly higher level of competence.
Related Headlines
