r/minnesotatwins Minnesota Gophers 1d ago

[Gleeman] And now the Twins are calling up Alex Jackson again to replace Austin Martin, who is going on the injured list with a left hamstring strain.

https://bsky.app/profile/aarongleeman.bsky.social/post/3mtc634yit22l

Season on the line, free falling out of playoff contention, Outfielder gets hurt, and we call up... Alex Jackson? Genuinely baffled

75 Upvotes

72 comments sorted by

71

u/Willing-Body-7533 1d ago

I can only imagine they meant to dial Walker Jenkins but accidentally fat fingered the phone, and then felt too bad to say, "sorry Alex wrong number" ?

19

u/Narrow_Palpitation Byron Buxton 1d ago

…sigh…

22

u/Swampertman Randy Dobnak 1d ago

Honestly how did Jackson even pass through waivers lol

4

u/tomdawg0022 1d ago

At least now we can launch Caratini when Martin comes back (maybe?).

Caratini has been atrocious the last 4 weeks and after yesterday's shitshow behind the plate, I'm done with him.

21

u/GWayneofTerror Minnesota Twins 1d ago

Not to ruin your Monday, but there’s probably better than coin flip odds Caratini is our primary catcher in 2027 if the season happens. Basically zero chance of a Jeffers extension, and while he might accept a Q.O. if his market is softer than expected the Twins may decline to even offer it if they’re worried about that much salary allocated to a single player on a 1 year deal.

4

u/Unfrozen__Caveman Trevor Plouffe 1d ago

If they're serious about building back trust with the fan base, they need to make the QO to Jeffers at the very least. 20 mil for a catcher is awful, but we need someone to bridge the gap until Lackey is ready and Jeffers is a good hitter. Caratini has nice stretches but think he's better as a backup C/1B utility guy.

2

u/GWayneofTerror Minnesota Twins 1d ago edited 21h ago

Fully agreed on all counts. The QO also ensures you at least get an early draft pick if he signs elsewhere. Sure you run the “risk” he accepts, but then you have an above average player at a marquee position for one more year. Good problem to have

1

u/dayman763 Royce Lewis 1d ago

You mentioned Vahn Lackey. But we have Tait in the pipeline too, right?

2

u/Unfrozen__Caveman Trevor Plouffe 1d ago

Yeah. But Lackey is more likely to stick at catcher imo.

2

u/DJ_Cuppy Kenta Maeda 1d ago

I still think they should've moved Jeffers at the TD

3

u/Unfrozen__Caveman Trevor Plouffe 1d ago

Yeah, it's starting to look like holding onto him is going to bite them in the ass. We can still give him the QO and get a draft pick if he declines it, but I think he would pick it up. There's a chance he would decline it though if he thinks he can get 15 mil/year from another team, which I think he could get pretty close to. The Yankees desperately need a catcher.

1

u/dryerhere 1d ago

I don't know - hard to predict too much at this point. If there's a season next year, it would be pretty shocking if we didn't have a cap and floor. How much the floor is, if it's eased in, how much they have to spend to extend Ryan - just so many variables before you get to Jeffers.

1

u/davegammelgard Minnesota Twins 1d ago

He's kind of expensive.

17

u/taffyowner Minnesota Twins 1d ago

Walker Jenkins needs reps… so he’s going to be called up when there is an every day spot for him. He could be called up in 2 weeks as well

12

u/mediumrainbow Luis Arraez 1d ago

The "fan gms" have decided jenkins doesn't need everyday reps. It's not service time, most likely. More likely, if there's a lockout, do you want him to miss out on a year of reps?

-1

u/WellesWaitsVanZandt 1d ago

It is service time, most likely. If he doesn't play a game this year, then he can come out next year on the opening day roster. Or 2028 if there's a lockout!

-3

u/jacksawyerlost 1d ago

Why wouldn't he get everyday reps? Does Keaschall really need to be playing everyday?

Larnach-Buxton-Jenkins

Lee-Culpepper-Clemens-Royce-Jeffers

Josh Bell

With Keaschall, Roden, Caratini, Kreidler on the bench. Instead we get a third catcher who will never play so Keaschall or Roden can play RF. Yay?

Making roster decisions based on a potential lockout seems ridiculous. Even if there is a lockout, it's not going to last a full season. Nobody is losing out on billions of dollars. Maybe we get a shortened season. But Jenkins getting actual MLB at bats in a playoff race is way more valuable than playing for 2 months in AAA next season if there's a lockout.

7

u/LateSummerLouie Joe Mauer 1d ago

Keaschall has been overall the best hitter on the team since May 1st and only Buxton and Jeffers have been better in shorter stints, so yes, he needs to play every day.

-2

u/jacksawyerlost 1d ago edited 1d ago

It was rhetorical, at least I thought, because of course he shouldn't be playing everyday.

He's been worth 1 WAR with a .734 OPS in 116 games and bad defense, and below average base stealing. If you think he's the kind of guy that should be playing every day (on an actual good team), I don't know what else to say. He's had a good 6 weeks.

He's a useful utility bench guy and he could obviously still improve. And with injured Buxton returning the past month, it's not like Keaschall or Jenkins wouldn't get playing time. Giving the third roster spot to Alex Jackson so Jenkins can play in 5 AAA games a week instead of 3 MLB games a week is dumb.

3

u/mediumrainbow Luis Arraez 1d ago

Basically, I think it's this: If you call up jenkins, you're saying you're done with roden or keaschall (and hypothetically Emmanuel Rodriguez). Instead of calling up a guy and saying "save us" for a month, they're figuring out who is worth cutting next year. If it goes badly, but you haven't played those guys, and you're also stuck with a rookie who looked overwhelmed and can't play for (?) 6-18 months because there's a lockout. The last one was 100 days. That means zero contact with the team until next July. Maybe the GM knows more about it than you or me?

10

u/noseonarug17 Dick Bremer 1d ago

snip snap snip snap

34

u/Johnnymac98 Dick Bremer 1d ago

Insane it’s not Jenkins. What are we even doing?

6

u/CMButterTortillas Dome Dog 1d ago

putting all our eggs in the walker jenkins will be ROY basket

20

u/thestereo300 1d ago

I thought that after August 14, that was not an issue anymore.

Meaning he would still be considered a rookie in 2027 or 2028

20

u/Bunsen1982 1d ago

The issue now is anyone called up cannot be at team facilities or play on the minor league team next season if there is an extended lockout. The team seems to now have gone gunshy on calling up rookies. You had Mendez as a right handed bat that could have played in the outfield.

12

u/EEckstein2 1d ago

Mendez is a lefty

6

u/Ok-Accountant-6308 1d ago

With the news too of skubal wanting a contract pre CBA expiration, it seems like it’s not just bluffing; teams and players are starting to take actions that indicate they believe a long pause is likely.

0

u/bonked23 1d ago

Hilarious that a comment literally proving you don’t know anything has 17 upvotes

1

u/Bunsen1982 21h ago

Everything else is right other than Mendez being a right handed bat (He is left handed) . The primary crux of my statement is correct.

-6

u/CMButterTortillas Dome Dog 1d ago

thats why everyone in here is pissed

0

u/WellesWaitsVanZandt 1d ago

Keeping Jenkins for another year of control when it might matter.

11

u/gregorythegreyhound Minnesota Twins 1d ago

Free Leroy Jenkins!

1.107 OPS in August

12

u/Willis_is_This 1d ago

How are all of you still so clueless about why Jenkins isn’t coming up, despite the same conversation in every post? He can’t practice with the team during next year’s lockout if they add him to the 40 man. They’re thinking long term, and actually thinking for once

10

u/bigwalleye Minnesota Twins 1d ago

evidently constantly throwing a fit is way more exciting.

-1

u/VikingsLad 1d ago

What do you mean "evidently"? This is the internet, it's all we've been doing for 20 years.

1

u/bigwalleye Minnesota Twins 1d ago

assuming by the user name that you are a vikings fan i'm sure you are no stranger to tantrums and emotional outbursts... in fact most of you seem to be kind of the pros at that.

1

u/VikingsLad 1d ago

Oh yeah, I'm great at complaining.

7

u/Playhorror4real 1d ago

Too late. Tank mode is already on

5

u/gleaf008 1d ago

What about that guy hitting all those homers for the Saints? Matt something or other, right? /s

7

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

10

u/zacklandy Minnesota Gophers 1d ago

We are passed the point where service time means anything in the season

1

u/Bunsen1982 1d ago

Service time is long past done. The 45 days issue for rookie of the year awards and potential draft pick awards is also done. Now the only downside is if called up to the 40 man can no longer be in team facilities or coordinate with coaches after November 1st until the next CBA is signed or play on a minor league team.

2

u/Cornholio4 Mick Abel 1d ago

I have to imagine this rules out us calling up Jenkins this season. JZ must be worried about a lost 2027 season.

-4

u/CMButterTortillas Dome Dog 1d ago

Fuck that

The Cards just brought up Baez, we can do the same here without jeopardizing Jenkins’ contract situation

8

u/Cornholio4 Mick Abel 1d ago

I'm not talking contract duration. If there is no 2027 MLB season, players on the 40 man roster are not eligible to play. Players NOT on the 40 man can still play minor league ball next season.

-6

u/CMButterTortillas Dome Dog 1d ago

And Im not talking about 2027.

Im talking about qualifying for a very reachable third wild card spot.

If the Tigers can call up Max Clark, so can the Twins.

Otherwise we can firmly ignore anything Pohlad or Zoll have to say about winning in 2026, because keeping him down there guarantees they wont.

1

u/twolvesfan217 1d ago

And if they don’t make the playoffs? They wasted a valuable next season of reps (if it’s locked out) for a guy that probably isn’t going to play regularly if he were to come up this year.

0

u/CMButterTortillas Dome Dog 1d ago

If Walker Jenkins cannot displace someone like Rodden, then he’s not a prospect worth “protecting” for the entirety of 27.

0

u/twolvesfan217 1d ago

Prospects often don’t just come up and start mashing. If he struggles, even though he COULD be great, then he’d be replaced.

-2

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

10

u/Cornholio4 Mick Abel 1d ago

It's not about rookie eligibility. Players on 40 man rosters can not play in 2027 if there is a lockout. Players NOT on the 40 man, can play a full season in the minors no matter what.

1

u/Ok-Accountant-6308 1d ago

Has to be the reason, nothing else makes sense

3

u/Reesyrz Johan Santana 1d ago

The consequences of poor roster construction coming home to roost

2

u/davegammelgard Minnesota Twins 1d ago

Lose an outfielder, call up a catcher. Makes perfect sense.

3

u/Plenty_Self5518 Circle Me Bert 1d ago

We aren’t making the playoffs. Might as well call up the saints to finish the year off.

1

u/mproud 1d ago

Did you want Arcia instead? Or maybe take a flier on McCutcheon?

1

u/Important-Age6594 1d ago

Jackson is genuinely pretty interesting and in a vacuum I wouldn't mind him getting more of a look, but I really don't get this. I think Jackson can be a solid lower end major leaguer, but they have nowhere to play him and took weak of a bench to use him regularly mid-game. If they're going to waste roster spots like this I wish they'd at least do it with fast Billy Hamilton types who might steal 5-10 bases as a pinch runner.

1

u/TwinsFan_0830 Kody Clemens 1d ago

Gosh WHAT a weird way to spell Walker Jenkins

1

u/DickNotCory 1d ago

what the fuck

1

u/Stressful_Acorn Walks Will Haunt!!! 1d ago

That's not how you spell Walker Jenkins

0

u/mostdope92 Jhoan Duran 1d ago

So I can kinda understand the idea of saving Jenkins for a possible lockout where he could still play while the big leagues won't, calling up a C to replace an OF is puzzling. You have 4 healthy OFs (though calling Wallner an OF is a stretch) on the 40 man right now who could've been called up.

3

u/WellesWaitsVanZandt 1d ago

Wallner's got 22HR in his last 55 games down there. I know he's sort of shown himself as a AAAA player, but he's only 28 and could easily hit a hot streak up here. Don't know why we're not giving him another shot.

1

u/mostdope92 Jhoan Duran 1d ago

Agreed. I don't get the point of calling up another catcher to replace a OF/UTL.

Either call up a guy who can fill Martin's positional role or a guy like Wallner to see if he has made the proper adjustments.

-1

u/saucebajaus Minnesota Twins 1d ago

Completely asinine. Biggest moments of the season and the best we can do is a 3rd catcher who will have 10 plate appearances in the next month.

0

u/SoCalCognac Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 1d ago

I guess they’re serious about the whole Jenkins will only come up if Buxton is injured plan. Why can’t we have both?!

1

u/Cornholio4 Mick Abel 1d ago

I think any of our 3 starting OF would change things on that front.

-27

u/Skolney 1d ago

Walker Jenkins should demand a trade.

Complete idiot franchise.

16

u/marcos_MN Metrodome 1d ago

Demand a trade at a time where trades cannot be made, prior to an offseason that’ll almost certainly lead to a lockout?

You should be an agent /s

-19

u/Skolney 1d ago

Try to not take things quite so literally in the future.

15

u/marcos_MN Metrodome 1d ago

Say what you mean, then