Twins reinstate righty starter Zebby Mathews from injured list, demote righty pitcher Travis Adams to Triple-A St. Paul in latest roster shuffle
Matthews, who has been on the injured list with a right shoulder strain since June 8, will make the start on the mound for the Twins against the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night at Coors Field in Denver, Colo. Matthews made a rehab appearance with the St. Paul Saints last Sunday, allowing just one hit and zero walks while striking out nine batters in four scoreless innings against the Iowa Cubs.
We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/e40Gzxe0Fs
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 19, 2025
Minnesota promoted Adams, the Twins’ No. 21 prospect per MLB Pipeline, to the major leagues for the second time this season on July 5. He didn’t pitch during his first stint in the major leagues, but made three appearances in his second stint, during which he gave up six earned runs with six strikeouts and one walk in nine innings. With the Saints this year, Adams has a 3.68 ERA with 58 strikeouts and 20 walks across 63 ⅔ innings.
Matthews began the season with Triple-A St. Paul and earned a promotion to the big leagues on May 18 after posting a 1.93 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 32 ⅔ innings over seven starts with the Saints. Matthews made four starts with the Twins this season before suffering his shoulder strain, posting a 5.21 ERA while striking out 25 batters in 19 innings.
Matthews’ scheduled start against the Rockies on Saturday, which is scheduled to begin at 7:10 p.m. CT, will be crucial in determining the Twins’ trade deadline fate. Winning the American League Central is probably a reach for the Twins at this point, as they trail the first-place Detroit Tigers by 11 ½ games. However, Minnesota is five games back of the third and final American League Wild Card spot. The trade deadline is only 12 days away, and the Twins must put together a winning streak if they want to avoid being deadline sellers. Bailey Ober and Luke Keaschall should be returning soon as well, so making the postseason is still a likely outcome for Minnesota.