Christian Vázquez DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Minnesota Twins catcher Christian Vazquez will retreat to the bench for Thursday's contest against the visiting Houston Astros at Target Field. Ryan Jeffers will do the catching for right-hander Joe Ryan and will bat eighth against right-hander Hunter Brown. Vazquez and Jeffers continue to alternate playing time behind the dish for the Twins early on in 2025, which makes the 34-year-old veteran unattractive to fantasy managers outside of two-catcher or AL-only leagues. The Puerto Rican backstop has played in three games so far and is hitless in his 10 plate appearances with no walks and a strikeout. Meanwhile, Jeffers has gone 4-for-15 with an RBI, run scored, two walks and two strikeouts in four games. Jeffers offers slightly more offensive upside, but neither catcher should excite fantasy managers all that much. Jeffers has two hits in 10 career at-bats versus Brown.

According to Dan Hayes and Dennis Lin of The Athletic, the Minnesota Twins and San Diego Padres have engaged in trade discussions around catcher Christian Vazquez. The Padres do not have a proven option behind Luis Campusano on their depth chart. Earlier this offseason, the Twins acquired Diego Cartaya and Mickey Gasper to bolster their catching room. They also have Ryan Jeffers, who is slated to be the No.1 option again this offseason, leaving Vazquez potentially without a spot on the roster. The Twins have also shown interest in acquiring San Deigo right-handed pitcher Dylan Cease but would have to add several assets alongside Vazquez to acquire him. Last summer, Vazquez posted a .221/.248/.327 line with seven home runs and three stolen bases. The veteran backstop would be deployed as a reliable No.2 option behind Campusano but would only carry value in deeper NL-only formats if acquired by San Diego.

The Minnesota Twins activated outfielder Manuel Margot (groin) from the 10-day injured list and catcher Christian Vazquez from the paternity list on Wednesday and optioned infielder Michael Helman and catcher Jair Camargo to the minors in corresponding moves. Vazquez will do the catching and bat ninth on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels and right-hander Jack Kochanowicz at Target Field. It's a promising matchup for Vazquez and the Twins, but the 34-year-old Puerto Rican backstop has very little fantasy upside in the nine-hole. He's hitting .228 (60-for-263) on the year with seven homers and 27 RBI. Vazquez will serve as Ryan Jeffers' backup now that he's back. Margot is recovered from a mild right-groin strain and will return to reserve outfield duties that fantasy managers can ignore in mixed formats.