The New York Yankees have the second-most wins in the American League and are positioned to be buyers at the trade deadline.
One position the Yankees really need help at is catcher. Austin Wells has a .483 OPS, and none of the backup options are much better. Wells had a dominant World Baseball Classic for the Dominican Republic, but has been unable to carry that into the MLB season. Now, the Yankees desperately need help at a position that is historically difficult to acquire at the trade deadline.
It's not that catchers are not available, but it is not easy to plug a catcher in right away. However, Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins could be on the move and may be the perfect player for the Yankees to target.
"One player the Twins could move regardless of their standing is catcher Ryan Jeffers, who is on a rehabilitation assignment as he works his way back from a left hamate fracture," The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal wrote on Monday. "Jeffers is a potential free agent who could bring back bullpen help, and the Twins could replace him with Victor Caratini and Alex Jackson. Speculation persists that the New York Yankees will pursue Jeffers."
Jeffers had a .295/.408/.541 slash line before going on the injured list. He also had seven home runs, which is just two short of his total for last season. He had a 20-homer season in 2024, and playing half of his games at Yankee Stadium could result in big home run numbers.
As he works his way back to the big leagues, he has five hits in three games in Triple-A, posting a 1.273 OPS. Although it is just Triple-A, it shows that the hamate bone fracture may not be a problem when he's back in the big leagues. The Yankees have gone 1-9 in their last ten games entering play on Monday. They sit four games back of the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East, and Jeffers is a player who could help them overtake their rivals and claim the top seed in the American League.