Twins' catching trio a good problem to have

Yes, Ryan Jeffers started a second game in a row on Tuesday. No, that doesn't mean anything is wrong with Mitch Garver -- nor does it mean that Twins fans should read too much into it.

As teams' approaches to catcher usage evolves to accommodate the modern-day understanding of the benefits of rest and recovery at the physically demanding position, Minnesota is in the very unique position of having to split time between two starting-caliber catchers in Garver and Jeffers.

The Twins still expect playing time to shake out more or less evenly this season, assuming health. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be an every-other-day tradeoff.

"I think it's going to balance out to something along those lines," manager Rocco Baldelli said. "But on a day-to-day basis, there will be plenty of times where guys will catch two games in a row, and maybe even three games in a row."

Even though Garver and Jeffers profile as big right-handed bats with pop, that doesn't mean they're necessarily interchangeable in every game. For example, Garver owns a career .889 OPS against left-handed pitchers and posted a 1.170 OPS against southpaws during his 2019 American League Silver Slugger Award season. Jeffers, the club's No. 6 prospect, has actually hit righties better throughout his Minor League career.

That's why, for example, Jeffers would start Monday and Tuesday. Starting Wednesday, the Twins next face three lefties in a row in Matthew Boyd, Marco Gonzales and Yusei Kikuchi, and they figure to try and get Garver as many plate appearances in that stretch as possible.

"I think Rocco’s going to use his cards and play into the hands of what plays better that day," Jeffers said.

And though Willians Astudillo likely won't see too much time behind the plate with hitters of that caliber ahead of him, don't underestimate what the presence of "La Tortuga" on the roster does for Garver and Jeffers. Because Astudillo will always be available as a third catcher when needed, Baldelli won't hesitate to use either of his starting catchers as a pinch-hitter or even elsewhere in the field when needed.

For instance, Jeffers was used exclusively as a pinch-hitter during Sunday's series finale in Milwaukee, and Garver even appeared at first base late in Monday's blowout win over the Tigers -- though that will likely be more of a rarity, and something Baldelli only expects to deploy when his depth is pushed to the limit, as it was Monday following Luis Arraez's exit from the game due to gastrointestinal issues.

"Having Willians there allows you to do it and not really hesitate," Baldelli said. "You don’t have to double-think anything, you don’t have to worry about injuries to other players. Knowing that he is there and is fully capable and is ready to go does help you relax a little bit."

Donaldson, Buxton updates
• Josh Donaldson ran on the treadmill and took batting practice on Tuesday for the first time since he sustained a mild right hamstring on Opening Day. Though the Twins won't have a full sense of his condition until he tests the hamstring while running at 100 percent, Minnesota continues to be encouraged by his recovery from the issue, which seems to have avoided his problematic calf muscles.

"A lot of times, with muscle injuries and hamstrings, it's weeks before any activity like this starts to take place, to be honest," Baldelli said. "With JD, it obviously has not taken very long for him to start getting back into the baseball side of things, and again, he's responded well."

• Byron Buxton is feeling much better in his recovery from an apparent bug, Baldelli said, and did on-field running Tuesday morning for the first time since he exited Sunday's series finale in Milwaukee.

"He was able to eat a little bit more than he had been and keep some things down," Baldelli said. "He feels a lot stronger."

Buxton proved as much Tuesday against the Tigers. He entered as a defensive replacement in center field in the bottom of the fifth inning, then crushed a 451-foot home run in his first at-bat to lead off the eighth.

Twins plan to vaccinate players Thursday
The Twins plan to offer the COVID-19 vaccine to players and their families at Target Field following Thursday afternoon's 3:10 p.m. CT home opener against the Mariners, Baldelli said.

Clubs were informed just before Opening Day that MLB and the MLBPA have agreed to relax certain health and safety protocols contained in the 2021 Operations Manual for fully vaccinated Tier 1 Individuals and for clubs where 85 percent of their Tier 1 Individuals are fully vaccinated. As part of that memo, players and staff were again strongly encouraged to receive one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines when eligible.

"I think the vaccinations are going to play a huge role in us being able to move forward," Baldelli said.