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Twins Scoop: Zebby Matthews Injury and Return Timeline Revealed
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- Twins Scoop: Zebby Matthews Injury and Return Timeline Revealed
Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
Just a couple of days after the Minnesota Twins lost Pablo Lopez to a shoulder injury, the recently recalled Zebby Matthews hit the injured list , as well. Just like that, half of the Twins starting pitchers (2/4) who took the mound last week in Sacramento against the Athletics are now on the IL.
That's no coincidence. The field at Sutter Health Park — the A's temporary home while they find a new city to play ing — has drawn consternation from all over the MLB for both a brutal mound and hard batter's box; a box that forced Carlos Correa to miss three games with back pain.
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According to Aaron Gleeman, in a recent (paid subscriber-only) episode of Gleeman and the Geek, Matthews was experiencing some level of discomfort in his shoulder going into his start.
Rocco and the training staff opted to let Zebby go against the Athletics anyway. He paid them off with one of his best big league games to date. Unfortunately, he and the Minnesota Twins will now pay the price.
MSF Scoop: Minnesota Twins starter Zebby Matthews injury revealed
According to a source with knowledge into the details of Matthews' injury, the 25-year-old righty out of Sylva, NC, suffered a Grade 2 Subcapularis Strain, which the Twins hope will take about half the time to recover from (hopefully less) as Pablo Lopez' Teres Major strain.
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Instead of a 2-3 month, like Pablo (and Joe Ryan last year), the Minnesota Twins are hoping Zebby will be back sometime in July. Thankfully, the MRI did not reveal any additional damage to the arm or shoulder area and will not require surgery.
Source: Minnesota Twins pitcher Zebby Matthews underwent an MRI that revealed a Grade 2 Subscapularis Strain.
There are no current concerns regarding anything else around his shoulder.— Ted (@tlschwerz) June 10, 2025
The subscapularis is a muscle located on the front surface of the scapula (connected to the rotator cuff), is pretty far away from where Lopez' injury, which is on the lower back part of the shoulder. Nonetheless, a Grade 2 muscle strain registers as a tear .
Team officials have already indicated that Matthews will be shut down from throwing for two weeks. According to most trusted medical websites, muscle tears generally take 3-12 weeks to recover from, but that is not specific to Matthews' injury.
Related: Minnesota Twins Option Adams, Open Rotation for Simeon Woods Richardson Return
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Zebby Matthews took over for a demoted Simeon Woods Richardson and made four starts in 2025. He owns a 5.21 ERA (3.07 FIP) with a 25/8 K/BB. Alongside David Festa , Matthews is among the best pitching prospects in the system. His jump in velocity (94.9 mph in 2024 to 96.4 mph in 2025) has been a key contributor to his growth.
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