The Minnesota Twins activated Byron Buxton from the injured list on Monday in New York. After two weeks healing from a rib cartilage injury he returned to the starting lineup.
It was Carson McCusker that was optioned (following Sunday’s game) to make room for Buxton. Matt Wallner has been on the paternity list for a couple of days after he and his wife Sydnie welcomed their first child.
When the Twins activated Wallner on Tuesday, the roster move had multiple ripple effects that provide differing levels of intrigue.
Jhonny Pereda optioned by Minnesota Twins for Matt Wallner
The Minnesota Twins claimed Jhonny Pereda from the Athletics late last month. He took the 40-man spot from Jair Camargo and immediately became a depth catching option. Despite being promoted as a catcher in the wake of Christian Vazquez’s emergency surgery, he never got behind the plate.
It’s not all that surprising the Minnesota Twins would prefer not to play Pereda. He has a 40 OPS+ in 37 big league games, and despite an .890 OPS in 33 Triple-A games this season, he’s just never been able to put it together beyond that.
The intriguing thing here is that the demotion of Pereda, with Vazquez on the injured list, makes Mickey Gasper the backup catcher. Ryan Jeffers has rotated with Christian Vazquez for the past three years because his defense holds him back. It’s unlikely that he’ll now catch every day, and Gasper leaves plenty to be desired on his own.
Gasper was utilized in a utility role for the Twins earlier this year. Minnesota had him working on both second base and first base because his ability behind the dish was questionable at best. Now that’s where he’ll be needed most.
Mickey Gasper now big part of the Twins roster
For the vast majority of the 26 games Gasper has played with the Twins, he has been little more than an overlooked part of the roster. As the lone backup catcher, that all changes.
The Twins hoped a .918 Triple-A OPS would eventually translate to the big league level. That has yet to take hold, as he owns just a .137/.279/.157 slash line for Minnesota.
With 44 games remaining, it’s unlikely that Vazquez makes it back to a clean bill of health. Gasper will need to do what he can to prop up his own value. This may be the one and only shot he has to carve out a major league career, and the Minnesota Twins have cleared the runway for him.
