The Minnesota Twins sent struggling right fielder Matt Wallner to their Triple-A team and promoted right-handed pitcher Zebby Matthews to start against the Miami Marlins on Thursday.
Wallner is batting just .167 with three doubles and four home runs in 120 at-bats and a .551 OPS. The 28-year-old struck out in eight straight at-bats prior to the demotion and has 53 strikeouts in 135 plate appearances, the worst whiff rate in Major League Baseball.
Wallner hit a career-high 22 home runs in 104 games last season after posting robust OPS marks in part-time duty of .877 in 2023 and .894 in 2024.
Matthews went for 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 18 innings over his last three Triple-A starts for the St. Paul Saints. Matthews made 16 starts for the Twins last season, but he was the odd man out for the rotation at the end of spring training.
The Twins placed right-hander Taj Bradley on the injured list with inflammation in his right pectoral muscle last week, joining All-Star right-hander Pablo López and rookie right-hander Mick Abel on the shelf. López is out for the season following Tommy John elbow surgery, and Abel recently had a setback in his recovery from elbow inflammation.
Matthews was promoted so the Twins could push back rookie Connor Prielipp's next start to manage his workload, but right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson's spot in the rotation is tenuous, too. Woods Richardson allowed eight runs in three innings on Wednesday in a 9-5 loss to the Marlins, and his ERA spiked to 7.71.
The Twins also sent right-handed reliever Travis Adams to St. Paul and recalled utility player Ryan Kreidler for his second stay with the club. Kreidler played third base and center field over a five-game stint last month.
Miami Marlins (20-23, fourth in the NL East) vs. Minnesota Twins (19-24, third in the AL Central)
Minneapolis; Thursday, 12:40 p.m. Pregame 12:00 p.m. on 830 WCCO and the Audacy App (in-market only)
PITCHING PROBABLES: Marlins: Braxton Garrett (0-0); Twins: Zebby Matthews (0-0)
LINE: Twins -124, Marlins +104; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Minnesota Twins and Miami Marlins play on Thursday with the three-game series tied 1-1.
Minnesota is 11-11 at home and 19-24 overall. The Twins are 13-6 in games when they did not allow a home run.
Miami is 20-23 overall and 6-11 in road games. Marlins hitters have a collective .324 on-base percentage, the seventh-ranked percentage in the NL.
Thursday's game is the third time these teams square off this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Byron Buxton has seven doubles, a triple, 15 home runs and 23 RBIs for the Twins. Ryan Jeffers is 12 for 36 with four doubles, three home runs and seven RBIs over the past 10 games.
Otto Lopez has 11 doubles, two triples and four home runs for the Marlins. Xavier Edwards is 9 for 35 with a double, a triple and two home runs over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Twins: 5-5, .236 batting average, 5.36 ERA, outscored by 14 runs
Marlins: 4-6, .223 batting average, 4.75 ERA, outscored by six runs
INJURIES: Twins: Cody Laweryson: 15-Day IL (forearm), Taj Bradley: 15-Day IL (pectoral), Cole Sands: 15-Day IL (forearm), Garrett Acton: 15-Day IL (shoulder), David Festa: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Mick Abel: 15-Day IL (elbow), Pablo Lopez: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Marlins: Robby Snelling: 15-Day IL (elbow), Griffin Conine: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Ronny Henriquez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Adam Mazur: 60-Day IL (elbow)
