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MN Twins Youngsters Seeing Light at End of Injury Tunnel
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- MN Twins Youngsters Seeing Light at End of Injury Tunnel
Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Twins have struggled to stay afloat this season. Whether it be due to injury or their own ineptitude, they still sit at 44-47 and have an uncertain future at the trade deadline.
Rocco Baldelli has been piecing together his pitching staff after both Pablo Lopez and Zebby Matthews went down. The Opening Day lineup is largely intact from a health perspective. It did look like rookie Luke Keaschall could be an impact player before breaking his arm .
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Thankfully some of those on the injured list are close to returning. They will be welcomed back with open arms.
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Keaschall and Matthews eyeing Minnesota Twins return
Unfortunately and coincidentally both Luke Keaschall and Zebby Matthews are hurt for the MN Twins. The pair also seems to have a similar timeline for a return and worked live at bats with each other on Tuesday.
Zebby Matthews throwing inside on Luke Keaschall. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/29McS12o6x
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) July 8, 2025
Matthews has advanced to live at bats, and Keaschall was able to step in against him. Keaschall asked for pitches to be thrown inside as he works to test himself following a hit-by-pitch that broke his arm. The request ight have been odd, but caught the attention of manager Rocco Baldelli.
"That might be the first guy in two decades of Major League Baseball that I've seen a guy ask to get pitched (inside) in a live BP against a guy throwing 97 miles an hour. You're not going to see that very often, but it just tells you you're dealing with young, youthful and very excited guys that are very eager to get back out on the field."
Keaschall clearly knows that opposing pitchers aren't going to shy away from parts of the strike zone just because he got hurt. He wants to be the hitter than went 7-for-19 with three doubles in his first seven big league games. If the Twins get that guy back, the lineup will be better for it.
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The Athletic's Dan Hayes talked with pitcher Zebby Matthews about the request and road back as well. Keaschall added commentary that made sense of his thought process.
"We were joking about not wanting to throw in because of the injury. But he kept telling me, 'Throw me in. I need to see pitches in.' He's not going to shy away from it…We're real close. Just to see him in the box hitting again is awesome. He's very talented to be here at 22. He was very excited to get out there. But he's a gamer. He's always ready."
""It felt great. I just didn't want him to shy away from going in. He's getting his work in. He's really good when he throws in, too. He's a stud pitcher. I don't want him to hold back just because I'm in there…I was just going in with my game plan of what I was trying to execute. He's a really good pitcher, and I know he does well when he throws his fastball inside."
Zebby Matthews is no slouch on the bump. His 96.4 mph average fastball is up two mph from last season. Although the 5.21 ERA (3.08 FIP) leaves something to be desired, there's reason to believe he can put it all together.
The next step for both Matthews and Keaschall will be an official rehab assignment. When that kicks off remains to be seen. The Twins have needed to piece things together with the absence of both players, but their additions could be a big boost in the second half.
Related: Report: Minnesota Twins Have Offer on the Table
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Byron Buxton will compete in the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby next week in Atlanta . From there the Twins will have just two weeks to right the ship before the trade deadline.
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