The Minnesota Twins designated catcher Alex Jackson for assignment on Monday, opening a 40-man roster spot for first baseman Aaron Sabato’s first major league promotion, the team announced.
It is the third time this season Minnesota has DFA’d the 30-year-old, a former No. 6 overall pick who has never quite become the everyday player once projected.
Jackson, acquired from the Baltimore Orioles last November in a modest swap for infielder Payton Eeles, signed a one-year, $1.35 million deal to avoid arbitration.
The Twins later added Victor Caratini as Ryan Jeffers’ backup, leaving Jackson out of options and without a clear Opening Day role.
He cleared waivers in late March and accepted an assignment to Triple-A St. Paul.
A hamate injury to Jeffers in May brought him back; he hit .303/.333/.409 with a homer in 69 plate appearances before another DFA in mid-August around the Field of Dreams game.
He cleared waivers again, then was immediately re-selected when Austin Martin went on the injured list.
This latest move is straightforward roster math. Minnesota, already eliminated from the postseason, is giving Sabato—a 2020 first-rounder who mashed 25 homers with a strong OPS at St. Paul—a look in the final week.
Jackson appeared in 33 games for the Twins this year and slashed .304/.342/.406 with one home run in 73 plate appearances, a small-sample improvement over his career .175/.254/.305 line and nearly 40 percent strikeout rate across six previous clubs.
Defense has always been the calling card: he frames well and controls the running game. Offense has not.
Because Jackson is still owed a sliver of his guaranteed salary, he is expected to clear waivers again and accept another outright assignment rather than forfeit the remaining money by electing free agency a week before the season ends.
A claim is possible if a club wants cheap, glove-first catching depth, but he would be a likely non-tender this winter in arbitration.
For a player drafted sixth overall out of Rancho Bernardo High School in 2014, the path from top prospect to third-string journeyman is a familiar baseball story.
Minnesota used him as organizational insurance; now it is using the last days of 2026 to evaluate younger bats instead.
