Ryan Jeffers’ Power Surge Could Be Exactly What Twins Need

Ryan Jeffers had been cold. His power had been down since coming back from Hamate Bone surgery. He needed a big week to wake up his bat, given how essential it is to the Twins' lineup, especially with Byron Buxton on the IL.

In the absence of Buxton, Jeffers has stepped up. And on Saturday night against the White Sox, he showed up.

Jeffers' Hot Week

Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers. Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Twins' backstop's hot week began against the Tigers, where Jeffers recorded his first multi-home-run game of the 2026 season. It seemed like last weekend against the White Sox, Jeffers' at-bats were starting to get better, and they certainly have.

The Twins have very slim postseason hopes in 2026 after being buyers at the trade deadline. There are only seven games (in a row) left for the Twins to play against their AL Central foes this season. If they have any hopes of going to October, they need to win against their division.

Saturday against the White Sox, that was the start. The Twins fell down 3-0 early and were battling back against Chicago starter Anthony Kay. Ryan Jeffers provided the biggest hit for the Twins in the game and might have kept any hopes of playing postseason baseball alive by crushing a three-run home run to give the Twins a 5-3 lead.

The more impressive thing for Jeffers is how well he manages the Twins pitching staff. It would have been easy for Taj Bradley to unwravle after giving up two first inning home runs, but with the help of Jeffers and his guidance behind the plate, Bradley settled in and allowed Bradley to turn in a solid outing before the bullpen came in and held the lead.

Could the Twins Crack October?

The Twins went on to win 6-4 over the White Sox, improving to 68-74. With the Guardians' loss to the Tigers, the Twins gained a full game in both the division and the wild card standings, and now sit 3 1/2 games back of Cleveland and 6 games back of Chicago. There is a chance, though FanGraphs gives the Twins a 6.0% chance.

Nobody knows how this season is going to end for the Twins, but Saturday could have been the start of a run. The Twins had been waiting for Jeffers to break out in a big way, and he's certainly done that.

Sunday night is the rubber game against the White Sox, and it should be a must-win game for the Twins on NBC's 'Sunday Night Baseball', which should mean that Jeffers can start behind the plate once again, which would be the best-case scenario for the Twins because if he's producing on both sides of the ball, their lineup is much elevated.

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