Marlins at Twins, 12:40 first pitch at Target Field, and the marquee here is two pitchers who haven't thrown a big-league inning yet this year. Braxton Garrett gets the ball for Miami after spending the early season at Triple-A Jacksonville working his way back from Tommy John. Zebby Matthews goes for Minnesota in his first MLB appearance of 2026 after the Twins recalled him from St. Paul to cover for another rotation injury.
Garrett wasn't even the planned starter — Robby Snelling was slated to take this one before he hit the 15-day IL, and the Marlins moved Garrett up to fill the spot. The lefty was last a full-time big-league starter in 2023, so this is essentially a soft re-debut against a Twins lineup that hasn't exactly been mashing.
- 10-Day-ILGriffin Conine LF — Conine will undergo a left hamstring tendon excision next week, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILRobby Snelling SP — Snelling is slated to start Thursday's game against the Twins at Target Field.
- 60-Day-ILRonny Henriquez RP — The Marlins placed Henriquez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.
- 60-Day-ILAdam Mazur SP — The Marlins placed Mazur (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.
- OutJesus Tinoco RP — The Marlins re-signed Tinoco (elbow) to a minor-league contract Jan. 5.
- Day-To-DayCory Lewis SP — Twins head trainer Nick Paparesta said Thursday that Lewis (shoulder) is still a couple weeks away from throwing off a mound, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
- Day-To-DayJulian Merryweather RP — Merryweather (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with the Twins' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate Tuesday, Theodore Tollefson of ZoneCoverage.com reports.
- Day-To-DayMatt Canterino SP — Canterino (shoulder) will be with the Twins in big-league spring training but isn't expected to pitch during camp as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayWalker Jenkins CF — Jenkins was diagnosed Monday with a Grade 2 AC joint sprain in his left shoulder and will be re-evaluated in 10 days, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILTaj Bradley SP — Bradley (4-1) earned the win Tuesday against the Nationals, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out eight over six innings.
- 15-Day-ILCody Laweryson RP — The Twins placed Laweryson (forearm) on the 15-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to Thursday.
- 15-Day-ILGarrett Acton RP — The Twins placed Acton on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right shoulder strain, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILCole Sands RP — Sands (shoulder) is beginning a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday, Brandon Warne of Access Twins reports.
Minnesota's IL situation is its own disaster. Pablo Lopez and David Festa are both on the 60-day, Taj Bradley just landed on the 15-day after winning his last start, and Mick Abel is still working through elbow stuff. Matthews getting called up is less a reward than triage. He posted a 4.72 ERA in seven Triple-A starts with home-run trouble in three of them, which is the same issue that has dogged him at the MLB level.
Records are basically a wash. Miami sits at 20-23, Minnesota at 19-24, and both teams have gone 3-2 over their last 5. Nothing here screams matchup advantage, which is exactly what the market is reflecting.
The line is a near pick'em with Minnesota a tick favored on the moneyline, and the run line has Miami laying -1.5 at plus money — a setup that usually means books expect a tight, low-scoring game where the dog-on-the-runline play has real juice. Total sits at 8.5 with the over getting most of the DK handle. Neither side has positive EV per the model, so this is one to watch more than to fire on.
Day game after a series in Minnesota in mid-May, two arms making their season debuts, two lineups missing pieces. Coin flip on paper, and the bullpens are probably going to decide it earlier than anyone wants.