Alex Jackson Clears Waivers Again After Bizarre Twins Roster Run

[Cody Christie]

Alex Jackson has become one of the strangest roster stories of the Minnesota Twins' 2026 season. For the third time this year, Jackson has cleared waivers after being designated for assignment. Once again, all 29 other MLB clubs passed on the veteran catcher, allowing Minnesota to retain him without giving up a roster spot.

The latest move came as the Twins needed room for former first round pick Aaron Sabato. Jackson was designated for assignment, bringing another chapter to an increasingly bizarre stretch of roster decisions involving a player who has spent much of the season barely playing.

The story began last November when Minnesota acquired Jackson from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Triple-A infielder Payton Eeles. The Twins also committed $1.35 million to Jackson through arbitration, a move that made sense at the time. Ryan Jeffers was expected to be the starting catcher, and Jackson appeared positioned to serve as his backup.

Then the Twins signed Victor Caratini to a two-year, $14 million contract. Suddenly, Jackson was an expensive third catcher and organizational depth. The Twins designated him for assignment after spring training, but no team wanted to take on his contract. He cleared waivers and remained with the organization at Triple-A.

That decision eventually proved useful. Jeffers fractured his left hamate bone in May and missed nearly two months. Caratini moved into the starting role, while Jackson returned to Minnesota to handle the backup duties. He provided needed depth until Jeffers returned in July.

The Twins could have moved on from Jackson at that point. Instead, they kept him around through the trade deadline in case Jeffers was dealt. Jeffers stayed. Jackson remained. And he barely played.

After the deadline, Jackson spent another two weeks on the active roster while receiving only one at-bat. The Twins finally designated him for assignment again in August, and once again, every other team passed.

Jackson returned to Triple-A, but only for 48 hours. When Austin Martin landed on the injured list, the Twins brought Jackson back. He then spent another five weeks on the roster, collecting just three more at-bats. Now, with the season nearly over, Minnesota has designated him for assignment for a third time.

The numbers tell the story. Jackson spent 60 games on the active roster after Jeffers returned, but received only 15 at-bats. After the trade deadline, he appeared in 41 games and received just four at-bats.

That makes the Twins' continued commitment to Jackson difficult to understand unless they view him as their preferred backup catcher for 2027. If that's the plan, the question becomes obvious: Why keep him around for more than two months if the organization wasn't willing to actually use him?

The Twins have repeatedly protected Jackson's roster spot this season. They just haven't given him many opportunities to justify it.

View full rumor

[big dog]

3 minutes ago, Cody Christie said:

Alex Jackson has become one of the strangest roster stories of the Minnesota Twins' 2026 season. For the third time this year, Jackson has cleared waivers after being designated for assignment. Once again, all 29 other MLB clubs passed on the veteran catcher, allowing Minnesota to retain him without giving up a roster spot.

 

 

I think this might be one of the strangest roster stories in the history of the team. It's practically like having a mannequin in a uniform at the end of the bench.

[Woof Bronzer]

The Twins like him, but not enough to play him.

He passed through waivers in August.  The Twins knew nobody else wanted him, and then immediately forgot this and re-rostered him, to protect their ability to not play him again.  

There are 13 roster spots for position players.  The Twins only rostered 12 players they were willing to play.  

I really want to know the story.  From a distance it's a fireable offense.  The Twins are already battling revenue disparities, a self-inflicted resource disparity is the last thing they need.  

[laloesch]

My guess is they were expecting to trade Jeffers by the deadline when they signed Caratini and either got putrid offers for him at the trade line or hesitated because he hit so well.  

[HarmonK03]

1 hour ago, laloesch said:

My guess is they were expecting to trade Jeffers by the deadline when they signed Caratini and either got putrid offers for him at the trade line or hesitated because he hit so well.  

But that doesn't explain keeping him on the active roster multiple times after the trade deadline.  It made sense for the couple of weeks after Jeffers returned from injury to keep him on the roster until the trade deadline.  But the handling of him after defies any explanation.

[wesnewy]

3 hours ago, big dog said:

I think this might be one of the strangest roster stories in the history of the team. It's practically like having a mannequin in a uniform at the end of the bench.

It's right up there with constantly keeping a hurt star CFer off the IL and playing with one short roster spot

[ziggy]

sounds like Jackson is in line for a multi-year contract.

[Road trip]

15 minutes ago, ziggy said:

sounds like Jackson is in line for a multi-year contract.

Good for him.

At this rate, Jackson's MLB pension will be fully vested when he hits the 10 year mark around 2033.  

Of course, to do that he will have to actually play in another 4 dozen or so games for the Twins..

Good work if you can get it..

[umterp23]

NFL 3rd string who is active cashing checks. This is classic Twins Front Office having no idea how to run a roster Zoll and staff need to go Sunday right after the final games ends. You want fans to believe you have the right poeople, jettison the amateur hour practices we have going on and get new hires who know what they hell they are doing. They have no plan, just wake up daily and hope they win some games. 
 

Then we question long term extensions, free agents spends. No one in their right mind comes here unless we are dumpster diving and overpaying veterans beyond their worth. 

[old nurse]

So people would rather have Tristan Gray playing? Any of the prospects that aren’t hitting up sooner. More of the prospects learning to sit at the end of a bench rather than being on the field?

/

[Vanimal46]

Just now, old nurse said:

So people would rather have Tristan Gray playing? Any of the prospects that aren’t hitting up sooner. More of the prospects learning to sit at the end of a bench rather than being on the field?

Someone who made more than 5 PA since the trade deadline is a great start. 

[old nurse]

1 minute ago, Vanimal46 said:

Someone who made more than 5 PA since the trade deadline is a great start. 

That does not even  begin to answer the question posed.  Someone? They did not have that someone 

[Vanimal46]

6 minutes ago, old nurse said:

They did not have that someone 

That’s what you chose to believe. If there was no one in the entire organization that could have been a defensive replacement, pinch runner, or contribute more than 5 PAs over 6+ weeks, the Twins are in big trouble. 

[old nurse]

11 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

That’s what you chose to believe. If there was no one in the entire organization that could have been a defensive replacement, pinch runner, or contribute more than 5 PAs over 6+ weeks, the Twins are in big trouble. 

A defensive replacement or pinch runner generally does not get a plate appearance. 

It still smells of just whining to whine when you cannot say which of the other players that were sent down should have been retained on the roster  That was the choices at the time. . The last reserve or bench player position is where you, and others, are taking a stand on what constitutes  big trouble is an interesting take. 

[Whitey333]

Great article.  I kept wondering when someone was going to take the Twins to task over the Jackson situation..  like roster construction in general the Jackson situation was so poorly played.  Wasting a spot on the 26 man roster you have no intention of using.  Thats almost as bad as considering Buxton a core piece of your team when you have to poster an extra players to help carry him to the IL. I like some of the young players playing now but there is very little sense of direction.  Unless of course they rid the team of unneeded players.  And yes im all for getting rid of Zoll.

[ladrossetwin]

Whoever was the 26th player was not going to play much and keeping  Jackson  allowed for more freedom to use Jeffers as a punch hitter  or DH.

[Vanimal46]

2 hours ago, old nurse said:

A defensive replacement or pinch runner generally does not get a plate appearance. 

It still smells of just whining to whine when you cannot say which of the other players that were sent down should have been retained on the roster  That was the choices at the time. . The last reserve or bench player position is where you, and others, are taking a stand on what constitutes  big trouble is an interesting take. 

It’s amazing how confidently wrong you are. You keep demanding names like that’s supposed to be our job? I could throw out Ben Ross and I bet you would blast that choice. So I’m not interested in your demands for names. 

[HarmonK03]

53 minutes ago, ladrossetwin said:

Whoever was the 26th player was not going to play much and keeping  Jackson  allowed for more freedom to use Jeffers as a punch hitter  or DH.

This is just making excuses for the Twins.  Teams use their catcher many times as DH with only one other catcher on the roster, it is a very rare occasion that you have to go to your third catcher.  We saw both Milwaukee and Atlanta use this exact tactic employing Dingler and Contreras as DH and only one other catcher when we played them.  And they ran Jeffers out there something like 9 straight games so I am not sure how he was going to be used as a pinch hitter.

To me this was a choice by the team with no real thought behind it and was one of many poor roster choices by Zoll this season.

[old nurse]

1 hour ago, Vanimal46 said:

It’s amazing how confidently wrong you are. You keep demanding names like that’s supposed to be our job? I could throw out Ben Ross and I bet you would blast that choice. So I’m not interested in your demands for names. 

Expecting from the system to magically have a 26th player after they cycled through 5 other players is a real head scratcher I asked you to look t come up with a name so as maybe, unrealistically,, that you could come to the conclusion it has been a lost cause all year for the last utility player spot on this team  Confidently wrong? You are more than that 

[Richie the Rally Goat]

5 hours ago, old nurse said:

A defensive replacement or pinch runner generally does not get a plate appearance. 

It still smells of just whining to whine when you cannot say which of the other players that were sent down should have been retained on the roster  That was the choices at the time. . The last reserve or bench player position is where you, and others, are taking a stand on what constitutes  big trouble is an interesting take. 

Can’t develop reserve SS that’s a better option than a 3 times DFA’d catcher who passed waivers all 3 times

[killercarewoliva]

5 hours ago, ladrossetwin said:

Whoever was the 26th player was not going to play much and keeping  Jackson  allowed for more freedom to use Jeffers as a punch hitter  or DH.

The twins evidently have just caratini that they think is Major league ready next season if Jeffries leaves. that is very likely to happen. was his defense terrible when he did catch? was he not hitting when he went to bat while Jeffries was injured? he definitely hit the ball over 300 average. I thought he caught fairly well. frankly, I don't know why he didn't get more playing time because he showed himself to be a good player. not a superstar but a good player and a great attitude. I'm going to go out on the limb and make a really stupid statement. that's what everybody thinks because I think next season until the first round pick is ready. this guy can take up the slack. I think that's why they keep bringing him back.

[MeleMouth]

22 hours ago, old nurse said:

So people would rather have Tristan Gray playing? Any of the prospects that aren’t hitting up sooner. More of the prospects learning to sit at the end of a bench rather than being on the field?

/

Ryan Fitzgerald would have been great as a bench utility guy. He could hit a little and play solid defense. Oh, wait.