It's no secret that Twins starting pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson has had a rough season. After surrendering eight runs (six earned) to the Miami Marlins over three innings in his last start on Wednesday, the 25-year-old righty's ERA rose to an awful 7.71, by far the worst mark among starting pitchers with at least 40 innings pitched this year. The Colorado Rockies' Michael Lorenzen has the second-worst ERA at 6.70. Puckett's Pond's Amanda Lucas explored in more detail why it's time for the Twins to move Woods Richardson, who is out of minor-league options, to a bullpen role.
The Twins likely would have removed Woods Richardson from the rotation already if it weren't for injuries to Mick Abel and Taj Bradley. Abel's recovery is taking longer than expected, but he started playing light catch on Wednesday, per MLB.com. Meanwhile, Bradley is aiming to throw a bullpen session this weekend, meaning the former Ray should be reinstated from the IL relatively soon. Once Bradley returns, Woods Richardson will likely be the odd man out of the rotation. Right-hander Zebby Matthews, who made his first MLB start of the season vs. Miami on Thursday, will likely keep his roster spot.
Matthews 's dominant start leads Twins to series win vs. Marlins
Matthews absolutely dominated the Marlins in the rubber match at Target Field on Thursday, hurling seven scoreless innings with five strikeouts while allowing just four hits and one walk en route to the Twins defeating the Marlins 9-1. Matthews, who had posted a 2.67 ERA over his last five Triple-A starts, threw just 83 pitches on Thursday and didn't reach a three-ball count until the seventh inning. The righty has a poor 5.59 career MLB ERA across 124 innings, but he showed on Thursday why Minnesota hasn't given up on him as a starter.
Matthews offers upside that Woods Richardson simply doesn't. Woods Richardson was a solid back-end starter in 2024 and 2025, but it's time to remove him from the rotation. Given the Twins' bullpen struggles, the team could really use an impact reliever. Woods Richardson may be the worst starter in baseball right now. However, he has a 2.89 ERA the first time through the order this year, suggesting he could be an effective reliever.
Once Abel and Bradley both return, and assuming the rest of the rotation remains healthy, Minnesota will have a tough rotation decision to make. The Twins could consider rolling with a six-man rotation of Abel, Bradley, Matthews, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober and Connor Prielipp, as Prielipp has a long injury history and is on pace to shatter his personal innings record. If not, then Matthews may find himself back in St. Paul, even if he continues to look sharp.
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