Twins' Luke Keaschall, Zebby Matthews look for inside track as they return from injury

New York Times

09-07-2025

MINNEAPOLIS — Not only do they respect one another, but Luke Keaschall and Zebby Matthews also overlapped at multiple stops as Minnesota Twins minor leaguers and consider each other friends.
So when they faced off in live batting practice Tuesday afternoon, both attempting to return from significant injuries, Keaschall didn't hesitate to put in a request his manager described as very rare: Pitch me inside.
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Though he's just now ramping up 74 days after an inside pitch broke his right forearm, Keaschall didn't limit the experience. Knowing how much it would benefit him to see pitches on the inner half and what it would mean for Matthews to throw in, Keaschall, who suffered the injury April 25, asked the pitcher to fire away.
Matthews acquiesced with two fastballs inside during a walk, one of two free passes Keaschall drew in four plate appearances during the pitcher's two-inning simulated game. Keaschall went 1-for-2 with the walks, and Matthews, who's been out since June 5 with a right shoulder strain, received strong reviews in a 40-pitch effort.
'That might be the first guy in two decades of Major League Baseball that I've seen a guy ask to get pitched (inside) in a live BP against a guy throwing 97 miles an hour,' Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. 'You're not going to see that very often, but it just tells you you're dealing with young, youthful and very excited guys that are very eager to get back out on the field.'
Tuesday's action is the first for both against live opponents.
Matthews threw the third bullpen of his rehab assignment Sunday as he prepared, one with a stand-in batter. As he increased the intensity of his hitting sessions, first from flips and off a tee, Keaschall next faced the team's Trajekt, a pitching machine that throws at high velocities and can alter release points and spin rates while mimicking MLB pitchers.
Yet as much work as they'd done, neither experienced the human element. Keaschall — who played with Matthews at Single-A Cedar Rapids and Double-A Wichita — wanted the real thing.
'We were joking about not wanting to throw in because of the injury,' Matthews said. 'But he kept telling me, 'Throw me in. I need to see pitches in.' He's not going to shy away from it. … We're real close. Just to see him in the box hitting again is awesome. He's very talented to be here at 22. He was very excited to get out there. But he's a gamer. He's always ready.'
Zebby Matthews throwing inside on Luke Keaschall. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/29McS12o6x
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) July 8, 2025
Keaschall felt good enough after the session to take regular batting practice with Twins hitters. Now, he's prepared for whatever the club asks of him next, which could include a quick trip to Fort Myers, Fla., for more live batting practice against rehabilitation pitchers at the team's year-round facility. After that, Keaschall would likely go on a minor-league rehab assignment.
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'It felt great,' Keaschall said. 'I just didn't want him to shy away from going in. He's getting his work in. He's really good when he throws in, too. He's a stud pitcher. I don't want him to hold back just because I'm in there. … I was just going in with my game plan of what I was trying to execute. He's a really good pitcher, and I know he does well when he throws his fastball inside.'
What's next for Matthews is to be determined. He was asked and thought a rehab assignment could be in the cards, but also said the plan was to see how he felt and reassess Wednesday.
'We'll talk about it over the next couple days,' Matthews said. 'I would think (a rehab assignment), but keep building up, and I'll be ready whenever. … You have to be patient. You can't rush anything, because that's when you have setbacks. You communicate with them on how you're feeling. And you're honest with them. And just get back out there when you can.'
Watching from the Twins dugout, Baldelli liked what he saw as two players who could immediately help the club demonstrated how close to ready they were. Later, he chuckled when learning about Keaschall's request during his pregame news conference.
'I'm laughing, but it's also true,' Baldelli said. 'You're not going to see that very often. … 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.'
(Photo of Luke Keaschall from April: David Berding / Getty Images)