KANSAS CITY, MO. — The Twins don’t believe catcher Ryan Jeffers will require a stint on the concussion list, but they haven’t completely ruled it out, either.
“We’re going to continue to monitor him and see how he’s doing as the day goes on,” manager Rocco Baldelli said Friday of Jeffers, who was shaken up by a pair of foul balls off his mask on Thursday against the White Sox.
It’s clear that Baldelli isn’t ready to put him back in the lineup, however, so the Twins added another catcher on Friday: Jhonny Pereda, a 29-year-old Venezuelan who turned pro in 2013 but had played only 39 major league games before starting Friday against the Royals. Pereda, who was claimed off waivers from the Athletics in late July, was called up from Class AAA St. Paul.
Pereda, who also spent three days with the Twins last month but did not play, was batting .294 for the Saints with a .948 OPS. He joins Mickey Gasper as the catchers available to Baldelli until he’s sure Jeffers can play again.
Back to form quickly
Friday marked one month since Luke Keaschall returned to action after missing three months because of a fractured bone in his left forearm. It’s been remarkable, Baldelli said, how quickly Keaschall regained his form at the plate.
“He’s played great. His attitude is exceptional and he likes to work,” Baldelli said of the rookie second baseman, who has hit .320 with an .896 OPS over the past month. “It sounds simple, but people who are disciplined and who like to work, play better, and they perform better over a period of time.”
Though the broken bone was certainly painful, Baldelli said it heals more cleanly than injuries to a muscle or tendon.
“Once you regain the strength, and you get enough at-bats, regain a little bit of confidence being back in there, you can kind of reclaim who you are very quickly,” he said. “Guys that are coming back from more connective-tissue injuries — those can compromise you for long periods of time, sometimes indefinitely.”
