Twins Designate Catcher Alex Jackson for Assignment Ahead of Field of Dreams Game

The Minnesota Twins have designated catcher Alex Jackson for assignment, a move that clears a spot on the club’s 40-man roster and indicates a roster reshaping effort late in August. Per Dan Hayes of The Athletic and as relayed by MLB Trade Rumors, the designation drops Minnesota’s count to 39 players on the roster.

Jackson was serving in a third-catcher role, a part of the organization’s depth plan that typically matters most when a team needs a reliable option for late-season matchups, extra innings, or a quick response to day-to-day catchers-related needs. This assignment, however, is not framed as a baseball-only decision. MLB Trade Rumors reported that the unusual timing ties to roster mechanics surrounding this afternoon’s Field of Dreams Game.

That timing issue centers on MLB’s one-day “extra” roster flexibility connected to the event. According to the report, the Twins and Phillies were each permitted to carry a 27th man for one day, similar to what teams can do for a doubleheader. With that in place for the special showcase, Minnesota appears to be using the roster window to set up how the club wants its personnel arranged for the game itself.

For Minnesota, designating a player for assignment does not immediately mean the catcher is gone forever. The DFA process gives the Twins a short period to work through options such as a trade or outright assignment (subject to the player’s rights and eligibility rules). In practical terms, the move gives the organization a chance to keep depth in the system while still managing the roster constraints created by the event-day wrinkle.

For Philadelphia, the reference point is different but related. The Phillies and Twins both played within the same one-day 27th-man allowance, so Minnesota’s roster math affects not only its own lineup planning, but also the broader shape of who is available on game day. The Field of Dreams Game has also become a late-season stage that can influence how clubs prioritize flexibility over strict roster stability.

The immediate questions now shift to what happens next to Jackson. Whether Minnesota elects to retain him on the 40-man roster, trade him, or try to move him to the minors will depend on how other clubs evaluate him and on his service-time and roster-rights status. Until the Twins make a subsequent move, Jackson’s major-league future with the club remains open.

What to watch next is whether Minnesota makes additional roster moves that reflect the event-day planning. Even without a confirmed follow-on transaction, DFA decisions often precede clarification on the active roster, the bench mix, and the organization’s catcher depth strategy for the final stretch of the regular season. If another roster shift occurs, it could also reveal which type of catcher utility the Twins intend to prioritize going into the post-event sequence.