Ryan Jeffers knows he cannot control the trade rumors swirling around him.
Jeffers also knows he can control his approach at the plate. Lately, the sound of his bat smacking against the ball has seemed at least as loud as any trade speculation.
Jeffers and the Minnesota Twins will try to keep up their recent success when they face off against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field. The Twins will go for their fourth straight win after taking Friday’s series opener 5-2.
In the win, Jeffers clubbed a three-run homer. His successful return from the injured list after missing time with a broken hamate bone in his left hand has reignited discussions that the Twins could move him before the trade deadline.
Jeffers will be a free agent this offseason, and the Twins are deep at catcher.
“I’m really happy,” Jeffers said. “I feel like I picked up not missing a beat from where I was early in the year. It’s always in the back of your head when you go down with an injury when you’re playing well: Are you able to find that quickly? I felt like I found it pretty quickly on my rehab assignment.”
The Cubs will try to bounce back after losing their first game after the All-Star break. Chicago won 20 of 28 games heading into the break and wants to regain its winning ways as it eyes a possible postseason run 10 years after its last World Series title.
Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson should be good to stay in the lineup after avoiding serious injury Friday. Swanson covered second base and waited to catch a throw, but the ball deflected off a Twins baserunner and hit Swanson squarely in the face.
The Cubs’ medical staff attended to Swanson, who eventually got back to his feet and stayed in the game.
“He’s not a dramatic person at all, so I know when he’s going down, there’s something going on,” Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner said. “Obviously, a baseball to the face never feels good. He’s a tough guy, but that still doesn’t feel good.”
Twins right-hander Taj Bradley (9-3, 3.59 ERA) will make his 19th start of the season. He ranks second on the team with 118 strikeouts in 102 2/3 innings this season.
This will be Bradley’s third career start against the Cubs. He has been terrific in his first two appearances, limiting Chicago to three unearned runs on six hits in 12 2/3 innings.
Despite boasting a 0.00 ERA against the Cubs, Bradley is 1-1 in those two outings because of the unearned runs.
The Cubs will counter with veteran left-hander Matthew Boyd (5-1, 4.50), who will make his 10th start of 2026.
Boyd will try to earn a victory for the fourth start in a row. Before the All-Star break, he reeled off wins against the San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles and Cincinnati Reds.
In 24 career starts against the Twins, Boyd is 9-8 with a 4.67 ERA. He has 43 walks and 139 strikeouts in 135 innings.
–Field Level Media
