Twins outright catcher Alex Jackson after waivers, keeping No. 3 catcher in-house

The Minnesota Twins have kept catcher Alex Jackson within the organization after he was designated for assignment and then went unclaimed on waivers, according to MLB Trade Rumors, which cited the transaction log. With the clearing of waivers, the club elected to outright Jackson instead of releasing him or trading his rights, and he was assigned to Triple-A St. Paul.

Outright assignments carry a specific roster meaning. When a player with at least three years of major league service (or a similar threshold under MLB’s rules) is DFA’d and clears waivers, he can typically elect free agency rather than accept the assignment. In Jackson’s case, MLBTR reported that he had the right to reject the outright assignment and pursue free agency, but chose to remain with the Twins’ organization.

Jackson, now 30 years old, fits the profile of a veteran presence behind the starting and primary catching roles. MLBTR described the Twins as retaining their No. 3 catcher after he cleared waivers, suggesting that Minnesota still views Jackson as a useful option for depth, spot starts, and late-inning matchups even if he is not the club’s everyday starter.

The decision to accept the outright rather than hit free agency is often about the economics of guaranteed money. MLBTR reported that Jackson is playing on a $1.35MM arbitration salary and that he would have had to forfeit the remainder of that guarantee to become a free agent. That figure, and the structure of arbitration guarantees, helps explain why an outright can be an acceptable outcome for a player who still believes he can contribute at the major league level from the minors.

For the Twins, the move also provides roster stability during the final weeks of the season, when bullpen usage and lineup planning tend to tighten and teams want dependable backup options ready to step in. A catcher’s value in this stage is rarely only about offense. It includes game-calling continuity, handling pitchers across different leverage scenarios, and the ability to be ready on short notice when another catcher is unavailable.

Triple-A St. Paul becomes the immediate landing spot for Jackson’s next steps. While the outright keeps him in Minnesota’s system, it also puts him in a position where he can work through reps, maintain timing, and be available to return to the majors if Minnesota’s situation changes. That includes common scenarios late in the year, such as lineup rest, injury prevention strategies, or a need for an additional arm in the bullpen affecting catching assignments.

It is worth noting that this is a waiver-and-outright transaction report rather than a broader roster overhaul. Based on the available information, the Twins are not described as moving their catcher corps beyond the retention of Jackson, and the reporting centers on the procedural outcome of his DFA and waiver status rather than performance-based evaluations.

The key question now is whether Jackson returns to the majors during the season’s stretch run, and whether Minnesota’s remaining catcher depth plan stays static. If St. Paul sees him regularly in games and if the major league club needs additional catching coverage, his path back could be driven by short-term roster needs rather than a long-term change to the Twins’ overall depth chart.