Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers out six to eight weeks because of fractured right thumb

Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers' stay on the injured list will be longer than the 10 minimum days. At least six to eight weeks, in fact.

President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey announced ahead of the Twins' game against the White Sox on Saturday that Jeffers will have a procedure midweek to reset his fractured right thumb.

Jeffers initially hurt his hand July 1, taking a pitch off his throwing hand in pregame warmups. An X-ray revealed nothing wrong, so he sat out a couple days before returning to the lineup and has been hitting well since, going 8-for-24 at the plate.

But the pain never totally subsided, and Jeffers jammed it again in a recent game. This time, a more thorough magnetic resonance imaging exam revealed a small fracture.

"The hardest part for me was knowing I played on it for two weeks, knowing how well I played," Jeffers said. "Also knowing I can't play any more, knowing that if I keep playing, and it heals, it's going to heal in a bad spot, and it's going to be more trouble than what it would be if I got it done now.

"... I'll come back with time at the end of the year and hopefully really impact this team. ... You've got to try and find the positives in it."

The Twins called up Caleb Hamilton from Class AAA St. Paul on Friday to keep two catchers on the active roster. And while Jeffers and Gary Sanchez operated as a catching tandem, Sanchez will surely take on more of the load in his partner's absence.

Falvey said he expects Jeffers to come back for the end of the season, which means the team should be able to find internal substitutions for him. But Falvey didn't rule out the possibility of adding a veteran backup catcher before the Aug. 2 trade deadline.

Jeffers will likely need a rehab assignment once the bone heals, so his total time away from the team could extend beyond the six-to-eight-week window. But Falvey and Jeffers were optimistic that because it's not Jeffers' catching hand or anything that affects the his lower body, Jeffers will still be able to do a decent amount work, like catching bullpens. Jeffers will also remain with the team to help the with strategizing.

"Hopefully in the interim period, he can be a big part of the game-planning conversation and be able to give Gary what Gary needs," Falvey said, "for [catching] Sonny [Gray] and for others that he hasn't caught as often."

Hamilton was catching bullpens in St. Paul when he received the 5:30 p.m. call that he was heading to the big leagues. He scrambled to collect his things before driving himself to Target Field, walking into the Twins clubhouse around 6:30 p.m.

"I was out of breath, I was sweating, I was still in my Saints stuff," Hamilton said. "I was just trying to rush to get here."

The catcher was a 23rd-round pick back in 2016. The Washington native played collegiately for Oregon State. With the Saints this season, he has hit .252 with 10 home runs. And while he will function mainly as a catcher, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Hamilton can also play at third, first or left field.

Archer returns

Chris Archer will come off the injured list Sunday in order to start the final game against the White Sox. Archer was out for the minimum 15 days dealing with left hip tightness. Before this, he was the only starter to not miss time because of injury or illness, having accumulated a 2-3 record and 3.08 ERA in 15 starts. This hip issue wasn't incredibly serious, but Baldelli wanted to correct it when it was still minor.

"If you use the time off well, and you can propel yourself going forward, then do it," Baldelli said of an IL stint. "... Guys can feel better and stronger and kind of get themselves ready for another good, long run when they have some time off. ... I hope this time was well spent, and Arch is going to be in a pretty good spot coming back."

The Twins will likely option Devin Smeltzer in a corresponding move, which is more a reflection of the upcoming schedule than Smeltzer's performance. Smeltzer is 4-2 with a 4.02 ERA in 12 games, but the Twins will be able to function with four starters because of all the off days the Twins have in July, including the upcoming All-Star break. A fifth starter will likely return sometime in August.