What happened to Ryan Jeffers? Why Twins' breakout star is headed to IL

It's been an ugly day for the Minnesota Twins. 

First, third baseman Royce Lewis was sent to Triple-A. The former No. 1 overall pick's injuries and inconsistent play have led to a .593 OPS in 31 games played in 2026. 

But it doesn't stop there for Minnesota. 

Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune reports that catcher Ryan Jeffers was diagnosed with a fractured hamate in his left wrist.

The injury is identical to the one that plagued Jackson Holliday and Francisco Lindor in spring training. 

Jeffers exited last night's game during an at-bat in the eighth inning. Now, the Twins will have to make do without him for an extended period of time. 

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The 28-year-old was hitting .295 with seven home runs, 26 RBIs, along with a .949 OPS in 37 games before the broken hamate incident. Jeffers has appeared in dozens of trade deadline predictions and rumors in the media. 

The unfortunate injury may hurt his trade value. 

According to Aaron Gleeman, the Twins have promoted Alex Jackson to take Jeffers' spot on the roster. 

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