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CHICAGO — In the days and weeks after Ryan Jeffers fractured his left hamate bone and had subsequent hand surgery, the Twins’ catcher wondered if he would be able to get back to the level he was at near the beginning of the season.
He had been one of the best offensive catchers in the game and was likely on track to make the first All-Star Game of his career. But, instead, the injury meant he spent nearly two months watching his teammates, unable to contribute.
“I think the little guy on your shoulder all the time is there wondering,” Jeffers said earlier this month.
Jeffers returned shortly before the break and, while it’s a small sample size, doesn’t seem to have missed a beat. He doubled in his first two games after returning and hit a pivotal three-run home run in Friday’s win.
Now, there’s another voice in his head that he’s doing his best to quiet.
In just over two weeks, the Twins — who sat three games behind first place in their division and tied for a wild card berth before Saturday’s play — will reach the trade deadline and have decisions to make.
What they do with Jeffers, a free agent-to-be, will be a big one.
Reports have noted a couple teams have interest in the veteran catcher, but Jeffers is focused on helping the Twins make a run, not concerning himself with something he cannot control.
“This game makes you stay in the present,” Jeffers said. “At least for the guys who handle the mental side of this game, you have to stay in the present. If you start thinking too far down the line, you’re going to hurt what’s going on right now. So, am I thinking about it on a daily basis? Absolutely not. But I am aware of it.”
As it stands, if the Twins play as they have over the past month or so — which is to say well — it seems as if ownership and the front office would be inclined to buy to help supplement the roster, which would suggest hanging onto Jeffers, one of their most productive hitters, when healthy, this season.
“There’s nothing you can do about it,” Jeffers said. “You just go out there and continue to play baseball. If I wanted to be a GM, I’d stop playing.”
Pablo López remembers the day he was sent out, in full uniform, to make a coffee run for the clubhouse veterans back in 2019 while the Miami Marlins were visiting Wrigley Field. Ever the fan of traditions, López wasn’t about to miss up a chance to have his younger teammates do the same.
After López handled most of the hard parts — collecting the orders, placing them and paying for the drinks — a group of eight rookies headed out to a nearby Starbucks pregame on Saturday wearing their uniforms and came back with more than 40 beverages.
“At the time (in 2019), I had to read the orders one by one placing it,” López said. “We’ve come a long way. It’s easier now where me and (Taylor) Rogers were able to place all the orders ahead of time. It’s just a blast.”
Once they returned with all the drinks, pitchers Andrew Morris, Travis Adams and Mike Paredes were sorting through them in the clubhouse, trying to make sure everybody got the correct drink. López left the list of everybody’s order with Alan Roden, whom he called “the most responsible of all the rookies.”
“It’s sneaky hard,” Morris said of matching everybody’s order up correctly. “We were trying to make sure everybody got their stuff, nobody got forgotten. Hopefully, everybody got everything.”
So, how’d they do?
López can’t be the judge of that.
“I did not order one,” López said. “I don’t drink coffee. It’s just a tradition for me.”
Royce Lewis was out of the starting lineup on Saturday after manager Derek Shelton said his left hamstring tightened up on him during Friday’s game. “It was a situation where with it being a quick turnaround, he presented (Saturday) morning in pretty good shape,” Shelton said. “We’ll get him out, run him a little bit and see where he’s at, but just wanted to make sure we’re on the front end of this.”
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He had been one of the best offensive catchers in the game and was likely on track to make the first All-Star Game of his career. But, instead, the injury meant he spent nearly two months watching his teammates, unable to contribute.
“I think the little guy on your shoulder all the time is there wondering,” Jeffers said earlier this month.
Jeffers returned shortly before the break and, while it’s a small sample size, doesn’t seem to have missed a beat. He doubled in his first two games after returning and hit a pivotal three-run home run in Friday’s win.
Now, there’s another voice in his head that he’s doing his best to quiet.
In just over two weeks, the Twins — who sat three games behind first place in their division and tied for a wild card berth before Saturday’s play — will reach the trade deadline and have decisions to make.
What they do with Jeffers, a free agent-to-be, will be a big one.
Reports have noted a couple teams have interest in the veteran catcher, but Jeffers is focused on helping the Twins make a run, not concerning himself with something he cannot control.
“This game makes you stay in the present,” Jeffers said. “At least for the guys who handle the mental side of this game, you have to stay in the present. If you start thinking too far down the line, you’re going to hurt what’s going on right now. So, am I thinking about it on a daily basis? Absolutely not. But I am aware of it.”
As it stands, if the Twins play as they have over the past month or so — which is to say well — it seems as if ownership and the front office would be inclined to buy to help supplement the roster, which would suggest hanging onto Jeffers, one of their most productive hitters, when healthy, this season.
“There’s nothing you can do about it,” Jeffers said. “You just go out there and continue to play baseball. If I wanted to be a GM, I’d stop playing.”
Rookies make coffee run
Pablo López remembers the day he was sent out, in full uniform, to make a coffee run for the clubhouse veterans back in 2019 while the Miami Marlins were visiting Wrigley Field. Ever the fan of traditions, López wasn’t about to miss up a chance to have his younger teammates do the same.
After López handled most of the hard parts — collecting the orders, placing them and paying for the drinks — a group of eight rookies headed out to a nearby Starbucks pregame on Saturday wearing their uniforms and came back with more than 40 beverages.
“At the time (in 2019), I had to read the orders one by one placing it,” López said. “We’ve come a long way. It’s easier now where me and (Taylor) Rogers were able to place all the orders ahead of time. It’s just a blast.”
Once they returned with all the drinks, pitchers Andrew Morris, Travis Adams and Mike Paredes were sorting through them in the clubhouse, trying to make sure everybody got the correct drink. López left the list of everybody’s order with Alan Roden, whom he called “the most responsible of all the rookies.”
“It’s sneaky hard,” Morris said of matching everybody’s order up correctly. “We were trying to make sure everybody got their stuff, nobody got forgotten. Hopefully, everybody got everything.”
So, how’d they do?
López can’t be the judge of that.
“I did not order one,” López said. “I don’t drink coffee. It’s just a tradition for me.”
Briefly
Royce Lewis was out of the starting lineup on Saturday after manager Derek Shelton said his left hamstring tightened up on him during Friday’s game. “It was a situation where with it being a quick turnaround, he presented (Saturday) morning in pretty good shape,” Shelton said. “We’ll get him out, run him a little bit and see where he’s at, but just wanted to make sure we’re on the front end of this.”
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