The Twins shared an injury update on Tuesday.
The Minnesota Twins had an eventful day from a roster move standpoint on Tuesday. Notably, infielder Royce Lewis -- who has struggled in 2026 -- was optioned to Triple-A. Additionally, relief pitcher Justin Topa was designated for assignment. The team announced other moves as well, including the decision to place catcher Ryan Jeffers on the injured list with a left hamate broken fracture.
Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll later revealed that Jeffers is expected to miss six-eight weeks, according to Aaron Gleeman. Losing Jeffers is certainly a difficult blow for a Twins ball club that is trying to compete in the American League Central standings.
Jeffers, 28, has swung the bat well throughout the '26 campaign. The Twins catcher is currently hitting .295/.408/.541 across 37 games played. He has also hit seven home runs and seven doubles. He has quietly been one of the ball club's better hitters in 2026.
Jeffers has displayed offensive potential in the past. There are not many catchers with serious offensive upside, but Jeffers has recorded 14 or more home runs in three separate seasons. He even had a career-high 21 homers back in 2024.
The Twins will need to find more offensive production amid Jeffers' injury absence. Updates will continue to be monitored and provided on his injury status as they are made available.
Twins Lose to Astros on Tuesday
The Twins dropped a pitcher's duel on Tuesday against the Houston Astros. Houston earned a 2-1 win on Tuesday night.
Both starting pitchers performed well in the contest. For Minnesota, Zebby Matthews turned in six innings of two-run baseball. However, Jason Alexander gave the Astros six shutout innings. The Astros bullpen surrendered one run, but Houston held on for the victory.
Byron Buxton and Josh Bell combined for five hits in the game, but the rest of the lineup did not provide too much help. Overall, Minnesota had eight hits and only the one total run. The ball club was unable to come through with runners on base for the most part.
The series is now tied 1-1 between the ball clubs. Minnesota won the first game by a final score of 6-3.
On Wednesday, the Twins will attempt to get back into the win column in the final contest of the series. First pitch for the Astros and Twins clash on Wednesday afternoon is scheduled for 1:40 PM EST in Minnesota.
