The Minnesota Twins are looking to avoid being swept by the New York Yankees on Wednesday after dropping the first two games of the series.
Minnesota has been outscored 16-4 over the first two games, showing a lack of offensive output against strong New York pitching. But in the finale, the Twins will try to knock off the Yankees, hoping to finish the year on a high note.
The 2026 season started off well for the Twins, with Minnesota being in playoff conversation until a few weeks ago. But the Twins started to rattle off losses, seeing them drop in the standings.
Currently, the Twins own a record of 70-81 this year, sitting seven games back of the American League Central division. The team is still technically alive for the wild-card race, but it would take a magical run over the final week and a half of the season to get into the postseason.
Ryan Jeffers Decision Made vs Yankees
Ahead of the finale against the Yankees, the Twins have revealed the lineup they will use to try and avoid a sweep. Within this, star catcher Ryan Jeffers is batting third.
Twins 9/16
L. Keaschall RF
A. Martin LF
R. Jeffers C
J. Bell DH
K. Clemens 1B
R. Lewis 3B
E. Rodriguez CF
R. Kreidler 2B
B. Ross SSZ. Matthews SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 16, 2026
For the year, Jeffers is hitting .262 with 14 home runs and 51 RBIs, while posting an OPS of .845. The catcher has been one of the bright spots for Minnesota this season, and his play has earned him high praise around the league.
Jeffers generated a ton of trade buzz around the deadline, including from the Yankees. New York has needed a firm plan at the catcher spot, but the Twins decided to hold onto him to make a playoff run.
While this hasn’t worked out for Minnesota, Jeffers remains an effective piece to the puzzle for a team trying to finish the year strong. Jeffers will be a free agent at the end of the season, however.
Can the Twins Avoid the Sweep?
With the Twins likely to miss the playoffs, all this team can do now is try to play spoiler down the stretch. But Minnesota wants more, and it’s been a frustrating year all around for this group.
“We’re not playing good baseball when it matters, especially down the stretch where it’s been extremely important games,” Jeffers said. “We just haven’t gone out there and done our jobs, and it’s simple as that.”
Minnesota has gone 14-22 since the Aug. 3 trade deadline, seeing their playoff hopes all but fade away. This team has had chances to win games, giving themselves a shot, but they just haven’t been able to execute well enough when it mattered most.
“We’ve put ourselves multiple times in a chance to win a series and we have not been able to complete it for one reason or another, and that’s definitely frustrating,” Manager Derek Shelton said.
Against New York, if the Twins bats can come alive, they may have a shot to avoid the sweep. But the Yankees are playing very well right now, so it could be tough on Minnesota to find a way.
Twins Make Ryan Jeffers Move During Yankees Series