6 months agoThe Minnesota Twins activated outfielder
Manuel Margot (groin) from the 10-day injured list and catcher
Christian Vazquez from the paternity list on Wednesday and optioned infielder
Michael Helman and catcher
Jair Camargo to the minors in corresponding moves. Vazquez will do the catching and bat ninth on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels and right-hander
Jack Kochanowicz at Target Field. It's a promising matchup for Vazquez and the Twins, but the 34-year-old Puerto Rican backstop has very little fantasy upside in the nine-hole. He's hitting .228 (60-for-263) on the year with seven homers and 27 RBI. Vazquez will serve as
Ryan Jeffers' backup now that he's back. Margot is recovered from a mild right-groin strain and will return to reserve outfield duties that fantasy managers can ignore in mixed formats.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Do-Hyoung Park
1 year agoMinnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said on Saturday that he expects catchers
Ryan Jeffers and
Christian Vazquez to split playing time close to evenly this year. The Twins signed Vazquez to a three-year, $30 million deal last winter, but the 33-year-old veteran had the worst season of his career, hitting .223 (73-for-327) with six homers and 32 RBI, while Jeffers batted .276 (79-for-286) with a career-high-tying 14 homers and 43 RBI. As a result, the 26-year-old Jeffers became the team's starting catcher for the postseason. Vazquez worked hard on his swing and body this offseason, but Jeffers earned more playing time with a strong second half in 2023. At this point, the younger Jeffers has more offensive upside, but with an even timeshare expected, neither catcher is all that attractive for two-catcher leagues in fantasy.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Dan Hayes
1 year agoMinnesota Twins veteran catcher
Christian Vazquez has improved bat speed and is more fit in spring training this year as he looks to bounce back from a disappointing 2023 season after signing a three-year, $30 million deal with the team in December of 2022.
Ryan Jeffers took over the lead duties behind the dish over Vazquez later in the year when Vazquez slumped and finished with a .598 OPS in the worst season of his career. The 33-year-old struck out more than ever last year and had the second-lowest slugging percentage of his career. Vazquez got a late start to his offseason workouts last year after playing in the World Series in 2022 with the Astros, and he thinks the lack of preparation affected him in his first year in Minnesota. A bounce-back is possible, but it could be more difficult with Vazquez expected to split time evenly with Jeffers in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Dan Hayes
1 year agoMinnesota Twins catcher
Christian Vazquez is not in the starting lineup for Game 2 of the wild-card series on Wednesday against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays. Instead,
Ryan Jeffers will catch right-hander
Sonny Gray and bat eighth against Blue Jays right-hander
Jose Berrios. Jeffers has started the first two games of the postseason behind the plate for the Twins and he went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout in the Game 1 victory, which snapped an 18-game playoff losing streak for the Twins, dating back to 2004. Jeffers will be looking to turn things around against Berrios, as he's gone 0-for-5 against him in his career to this point with four strikeouts.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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