FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Minnesota Twins face a sudden vacancy in their pitching rotation after Pablo López’s injury, which may require season-ending Tommy John surgery, prompting the team to find a dependable replacement. Zebby Matthews is among those competing to establish his consistency and fill this unexpected opening as the Twins open their spring training schedule in Fort Myers.
Matthews will make his first live appearance Friday at Hammond Stadium, pitching against the University of Minnesota at 5:05 p.m. Central. The Twins have emphasized their rotation depth heading into the season, and this start offers Matthews a critical opportunity to demonstrate his readiness to the coaching staff and decision-makers.
Zebby Matthews Aims to Earn a Rotation Spot This Spring
Determined to seize this opportunity, Matthews expressed clear goals for spring training.
“I’m going to do my best in spring to earn a rotation spot,”
he said.
“If it works out, that’s awesome. If not, then I’ll be ready in Triple-A whenever they make the call and need me back up.”
Last season, Matthews split his time between Triple-A and the majors, appearing in 16 starts despite a shoulder strain that sidelined him during the summer. His priority during the offseason and early camp has been refining his pitch execution, particularly his offspeed offerings.
“I’ve got the stuff. I’ve got the pitches. Just trying to fine tune and execute,”
Matthews stated.
“If you look at some of the better starters in the league, you look at what they’re able to do locating their pitches, missing to their advantage, that sort of stuff. Big focus on that.”
Assessing Matthews’ Performance and Potential
Matthews’ performance in the majors last year displayed flashes of promise mixed with inconsistency, finishing with a 5.56 ERA across his starts. Notably, his next-to-last outing saw him yielding nine runs over three innings, but he ended the season with a strong performance, pitching seven innings and allowing one run on four hits against the Texas Rangers.
With experience now spanning two major league seasons, Matthews is focused on achieving steadiness this year, a trait he demonstrated more consistently in the minors. Twins manager Derek Shelton emphasized the importance of Matthews’ ability to control the strike zone.
“Able to manipulate the plate and off the plate in specific counts,”
Shelton said when describing Matthews’ development.
“We’ve seen over the time, he’s got really good stuff and flashes that,”
Shelton added.
“I think for a young pitcher, just to be more consistent is probably the main theme.”
Manager Shelton Highlights a Positive Approach to Growth
During a recent staff retreat in Minneapolis, Shelton adopted the phrase “hunt the good” from strength and conditioning coach Chuck Bradway, turning it into a daily reminder for the team. This mindset aims to balance the inevitable challenges in baseball with a focus on daily positives, a message Shelton incorporated into his camp-opening speech.
“It was something that organically came up in a staff conversation about how we wanted our staff to relate to players and what we wanted them to feel because the game is based on so much negativity,”
Shelton explained.
Shelton illustrated this by referencing Hall of Famer Tony Oliva, who maintained a .304 career batting average despite failing seven out of ten times at the plate.
“Our game is based on failure,”
Shelton said.
“I want to make sure our coaches and our players focus back towards what the good thing about every day is.”
Spring Game Plans and Upcoming Matchups
The Twins’ scrimmage against the University of Minnesota will be limited to seven innings. While a few major leaguers will participate in Friday’s game, Shelton indicated most will see action over the following games. For instance, Joe Ryan is scheduled to start the game on Saturday.
Significance of Matthews’ Opportunity and Rotation Depth
With López’s injury casting uncertainty on the Twins’ starting rotation, Matthews’ spring training performance could be pivotal in shaping the team’s pitching staff for the upcoming season. His ability to combine his raw pitching talent with greater consistency will be vital.
The Twins’ approach to balancing challenges with a positive outlook under Shelton’s leadership seeks to foster growth and resilience in players like Matthews, emphasizing long-term development alongside immediate team needs. Fans and analysts alike will be watching closely to see if Matthews can solidify his role amid this season’s shifting roster dynamics.
