MINNEAPOLIS -- It was two encouraging developments for the Twins in one session at Target Field on Tuesday afternoon.
Right-hander Zebby Matthews, who has been out for five weeks due to a right shoulder strain, faced hitters for the first time since suffering the injury. And one of those hitters? Infielder Luke Keaschall, facing live pitching for the first time since he suffered a broken bone in his right arm on April 25.
For Matthews, if he comes through it well and feels good on Wednesday, the next big step is likely a Minor League rehabilitation assignment. For Keaschall, there may be a couple more steps before he formally begins a rehab, but it was nonetheless a big step.
Matthews threw approximately 40 pitches over two simulated innings, facing DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Kody Clemens as well as Keaschall. He lamented his sharpness but nonetheless was pleased with how the session went.
“I think that’s the toughest part when you’re coming back. It’s the up and down,” Matthews said. “Not so much the pitch count, but it’s more sitting and getting back up. Building to get to six, seven innings. So we’ll keep building back up.”
The most likely sequence for Matthews will be to throw a bullpen session in two or three games, then pitch in a game somewhere -- most likely Triple-A St. Paul. He may need more than one rehab start, but regardless, he’s trending well.
Matthews even came inside on Keaschall a couple of times -- with permission, of course.
“He kept telling me, ‘Throw me in, throw me in,’” Matthews said. “So I threw him a couple in.”
For Keaschall, it’s expected that he may go to the Twins’ complex in Florida for a while and get some at-bats against live pitching there but not yet in formal games. After that, he would begin a Minor League rehab assignment. Given the uncertainty of how his arm will respond to regular work, the Twins want to avoid being in a position where Keaschall begins a rehab, feels pain and then has to be pulled back.
“They looked good,” said manager Rocco Baldelli. “It was a good day. … Zebby gave us exactly what we wanted [him] to. His stuff looked good. He was throwing two-ups. He got through it, went well. We’ll kind of reassess everything inside, see what the next step is.
“Luke, offensively the way he was swinging it, looked normal. That’s what you want. He put good swings on the ball. He had check swings. He swung at pitches up at the top of the zone. He swung at pitches down in the zone. He got the barrel to different places in the zone and looked very happy and comfortable doing it, so he looked good.”
All-player broadcast
For the entirety of the home series against the Cubs, Twins.TV will feature a different kind of broadcast. Rather than a traditional two-person booth with a play-by-play announcer and a color commentator, the broadcast instead will feature three ex-players each night: Justin Morneau, Trevor Plouffe and Glen Perkins. Each game, one of the three will serve as the lead when it comes to things like reading promotional messages, but the idea is a free-flowing, entertaining show.
For Tuesday’s game, Pablo López was scheduled to sit in for several innings, providing yet another insightful voice. Or, as Baldelli quipped, “You need an adult in the room.”
Rodriguez back at Triple-A
Outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez has been reinstated to the active roster of Triple-A St. Paul. Rodriguez was placed on the injured list due to a right hip injury on June 2. He made five rehab appearances for the Rookie-level Florida Complex League Twins followed by three with Single-A Fort Myers before returning to St. Paul for its home series with Iowa. Rodriguez, 22, is the Twins’ No. 2 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 46 prospect.