The Minnesota Twins have officially activated left-handed reliever A.J. Minter, whom the Twins acquired from the New York Mets for infield prospects Billy Amick and Bruin Agbayani on Thursday. Minter will wear number 33, Justin Morneau's old number.
As a corresponding move, Minnesota optioned struggling right-handed starter Zebby Matthews to Triple-A St. Paul. Additionally, the Twins reinstated right-handed reliever Garrett Acton from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A. To make room for Acton on the 40-man roster, Minnesota designated right-handed reliever Cody Laweryson for release or assignment.
We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/afLSLPPiSa
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) August 1, 2026
By optioning Matthews, the Twins cleared a rotation spot for Dean Kremer. Minnesota acquired Kremer from the Baltimore Orioles for 18-year-old outfield prospect Jhomnardo Reyes on Friday night. Kremer will wear number 13 with the Twins.
Once Kremer is activated, the Twins will have to remove a reliever from the active roster. Activating Kremer will also involve clearing a 40-man spot. Candidates to lose their 26-man spot when Kremer is added to the roster are Travis Adams, Jack Anderson and Kody Funderburk.
Matthews' demotion has been a long time coming. He began the season with Triple-A St. Paul. Minnesota recalled the 26-year-old right-hander on May 14. In the big leagues this year, Matthews has posted a poor 5.22 ERA with a 1.31 WHIP and 69 strikeouts in 81 innings across 14 starts. He actually pitched well against the Mariners last night after allowing three runs in the first two innings. He didn't allow any more runs and surrendered just four hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts over five innings. But that doesn't erase the fact that he has an ERA north of 5 this year.
Zebby Matthews should be back in MLB with Twins later this season
Matthews will most likely be back in the majors this year. It's nice to know that Minnesota has a starting pitcher with big-league experience sitting in the minors who can step right back into the rotation if the club suffers a starting pitching injury.
If the Twins' rotation remains healthy and effective, the Twins could move Matthews to the bullpen. As a high-velocity arm with a nasty slider, Matthews appears to be a pitcher who could benefit from moving to a relief role. For now, the Twins should keep him starting in Triple-A St. Paul as needed rotation insurance. But down the road, Matthews could emerge as an effective bullpen arm for Minnesota as the club aims to make the postseason for the first time since 2023.
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