Fort Myers – The Minnesota Twins have high expectations for Zebby Matthews in 2026. After having lackluster numbers in parts of two MLB seasons, the young commander of the strike zone has an opportunity to be Minnesota’s next man up in the rotation following Pablo López’s season-ending Tommy John surgery.

Matthews was one of the most consistent pitchers in Minnesota’s farm system before his MLB debut on Aug. 13, 2024. However, he’s either pitched really well or poorly in his 25 major league starts.

Fortunately, Matthews ended the 2025 season with a strong outing. He threw seven innings of one-run ball against the Texas Rangers, where he allowed just four hits, no walks, and struck out six on 90 pitches. Entering camp this spring, Matthews hoped that his start in Arlington could be the beginning of the consistency he’s been searching for in the majors.

“I think the start before the last one, I only went two innings against the Yankees or something,” Matthews said. “So just trying to find the consistency and being able to say, ‘Hey, you know I’m going to get the six, seventh inning every start to be able to go deep in games, save the bullpen, and put the team in a position to win.’ I think that’s always the goal with every start.”

Matthews has only made three appearances so far this spring, getting the first start in exhibition against the University of Minnesota. He only went two innings in that start, allowed a couple of hits, no walks, and struck out three.

Matthews’s command was a bit more shaky next outing in Bradenton against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Feb. 26. He allowed two walks, two hits, and a run while striking out three over 2 ⅓ innings. Matthews pitched again on Monday, going 3 ⅔ innings against the Atlanta Braves. However, his command was shaky again. He allowed two walks, six hits, and six earned runs while striking out five.

Reviewing the breakdown of Matthews’ pitches in each outing, it’s clear he’s trying to get more comfortable trying to execute pitches on the corners or outside the zone for hitters to chase. Command has already been a big part of Matthews’ upside since the Twins drafted him. Still, the goal for him to take the next step this season is mastering his pitch location each at-bat.

“I’ve got the stuff. I’ve got the pitches,” Matthews said. “Just trying to fine-tune and execute. If you look at some of the better starters in the league, you look at what they’re able to do, locating their pitches, missing to their advantage, that sort of stuff. Big focus on that.”

There’s no better place to fine-tune execution than spring training, but Matthews is competing for the last spot in Minnesota’s Opening Day rotation. He has a track record of consistency in the season, so the numbers in spring training won’t entirely dampen his opportunity, but he must show some form of consistency.

“I think in his case, it’s just making sure that he uses the plate and then off the plate, because we know he throws strikes,” said Twins manager Derek Shelton.

“We know he has the ability to throw strikes, missing in the middle of the plate. And this is just, you know, from watching videos and from talking to our pitching group, that seems where he’s got himself in trouble in the past. So make sure that he’s able to manipulate the plate and off the plate in specific counts.”

“Like Shelton said, it’s next man up,” said Matthews. “At some point, the decision is going to be made. I ultimately don’t have final say in that decision, but I’m going to do my best in spring to earn a rotation spot. If it works out, that’s awesome. If not, then I’ll be ready in Triple-A whenever they make the call and need me back up.”

As long as Matthews shows more consistency in his command, anything else is upside for the upcoming season. Matthews has had the fortune of adding a tick on fastball velo each year since the Twins drafted him.

He topped out over 98 MPH last season and has gotten his fastball up to 96.7 MPH in early games. There’s a good chance he could get up to 99 MPH, which will be impressive for a young starter who couldn’t top out over 92 MPH when the Twins drafted him four years ago.

“It’s been good. I’ve somehow increased velo every year, not really a huge goal, but it’s something I’ve luckily been able to do,” Matthews said. “It’s not something we’re too concerned with, but I feel like the ball is coming out well, and it should be around the same as last year, maybe a little better. We’ll see.”

While the spring training starts haven’t been glamorous, Matthews is confident the end of his 2025 season will carry over into 2026, whether he begins the season at Triple-A or in Minnesota’s starting rotation. But whenever he returns to the Twins rotation, he will be ready to show that his pitch execution can be just as effective as his command against hitters trying to challenge him.

“As much as you want to have instant success in the league, there’s a lot of guys that struggle at first, then they kind of find their footing, and they kind of take off, get going,” he said. “Some guys it takes five starts, some guys take 2-3 years. Guys like Charlie Morton, he takes off later on in his 30s. Charlie Morton has had an unbelievable career. So it’s different for everybody.”