The Minnesota Twins sent struggling right fielder Matt Wallner to Triple-A and promoted right-hander Zebby Matthews to start against the Miami Marlins on Thursday, the report says.
The report says Wallner is batting .167 with three doubles and four home runs in 120 at-bats and has a .551 OPS. The 28-year-old had struck out in eight straight at-bats before the demotion and has 53 strikeouts in 135 plate appearances, which the report calls the worst whiff rate in Major League Baseball.
Wallner’s move comes after stronger recent seasons, the report says, noting he hit a career-high 22 home runs in 104 games last season and produced OPS marks of .877 in 2023 and .894 in 2024 in part-time roles. The Twins appear to be adjusting their roster after that drop in production.
The report says Matthews compiled a 3-0 record with a 2.00 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 18 innings across his last three Triple-A starts for the St. Paul Saints. Matthews made 16 starts for the Twins last season but did not secure a rotation spot at the end of spring training, per the report. His promotion was made in part so the Twins could push back rookie Connor Prielipp’s next start to better manage his workload.
The report also outlines rotation and roster challenges: the Twins placed right-hander Taj Bradley on the injured list with inflammation in his right pectoral muscle last week, joining All-Star Pablo López and rookie Mick Abel on the shelf. López is out for the season following Tommy John surgery, and Abel recently had a setback in his recovery from elbow inflammation, the report says. Right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson’s rotation spot is described as tenuous after allowing eight runs in three innings in a 9-5 loss to the Marlins, with his ERA rising to 7.71.
In other moves, the report says the Twins sent right-handed reliever Travis Adams to St. Paul and recalled utility player Ryan Kreidler for his second stint with the club; Kreidler played third base and center field during a five-game stay last month.
