MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins sent struggling right fielder Matt Wallner to their Triple-A team and promoted right-handed pitcher Zebby Matthews to start against the Miami Marlins on Thursday.
Wallner is batting just .167 with three doubles and four home runs in 120 at-bats and a .551 OPS. The 28-year-old struck out in eight straight at-bats prior to the demotion and has 53 strikeouts in 135 plate appearances, the worst whiff rate in Major League Baseball.
“Obviously, Matty was grinding a little bit. I think it’s just a little bit of a reset. When we’ve seen him have consistent at-bats, we’ve seen him have success at the major league level,” manager Derek Shelton said. “Right now, he’s too far in between.”
Wallner hit a career-high 22 home runs in 104 games last season after posting robust OPS marks in part-time duty of .877 in 2023 and .894 in 2024. The Twins have also been seeking more playing time for Austin Martin, who can play all three outfield spots but has spent the majority of his time in left field, where Trevor Larnach is a regular against right-handed pitching.
Star center fielder Byron Buxton, who had been slated to serve as the designated hitter on Wednesday, was scratched from the lineup before the game because of what the team called soreness in his right hip flexor.
Matthews went for 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 18 innings over his last three Triple-A starts for the St. Paul Saints. Matthews made 16 starts for the Twins last season, but he was the odd man out for the rotation at the end of spring training.
The Twins placed right-hander Taj Bradley on the injured list with inflammation in his right pectoral muscle last week, joining All-Star right-hander Pablo López and rookie right-hander Mick Abel on the shelf. López is out for the season following Tommy John elbow surgery, and Abel recently had a setback in his recovery from elbow inflammation.
Matthews was promoted so the Twins could push back rookie Connor Prielipp's next start to manage his workload, but right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson's spot in the rotation is tenuous, too. Woods Richardson allowed eight runs in three innings on Wednesday in a 9-5 loss to the Marlins, and his ERA spiked to 7.71.
The Twins also sent right-handed reliever Travis Adams to St. Paul and recalled utility player Ryan Kreidler for his second stay with the club. Kreidler played third base and center field over a five-game stint last month.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Minnesota Twins' Matt Wallner (38) celebrates his home run with third base coach Ramon Borrego (46) during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
BOSTON (AP) — A man accused of wounding two drivers when he fired at least 70 rounds from an assault-style weapon on a busy street near Boston pleaded not guilty Thursday to assault and other charges.
Tyler Brown, 46, who appeared in Cambridge District Court via video from a hospital bed, did not speak and appeared to have his eyes closed for most of the brief hearing. He nodded when the judge said not guilty pleas had been entered on his behalf to charges of armed assault with intent to murder and six other charges, including possessing a gun without a license.
Judge David Frank ordered him to remain in custody, either at the hospital or in jail, pending a hearing on May 21. Brown's attorney, Carolyn McGowan, declined to speak at the hearing other than answering the judge's questions about scheduling matters. The Committee for Public Counsel Services/Public Defender Division, where she is listed as a senior trial counsel, did not respond to a request for comment.
Brown is accused of opening fire Monday afternoon on a heavily traveled road along the Charles River in Cambridge. Panicked drivers abandoned their vehicles or hid under them seeking cover.
One man, who was struck in the back of the head, has since been released from the hospital, while another driver who was shot four times in the leg remains hospitalized, Middlesex Assistant District Attorney Nicole Allain said.
About an hour before the shootings, Brown connected with his parole officer via video conference. Armed with a gun, he said on video that he had relapsed and wanted to end his life. The parole officer called police, who began searching for Brown and found him in Cambridge using phone records.
The complaint describes what led up to the shootings. According to investigators, Brown had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression and had been released Friday from a psychiatric hospital.
According to the complaint, Brown is on parole and probation for offenses including armed assault to murder and other gun-related convictions. His parole was set to end this week, though his probation continued.
Meghan Kelly, a spokesperson for the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, said Brown was not licensed to carry a firearm.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan described Brown’s criminal history going back to 1994, when he was convicted of armed robbery in Michigan. He also was convicted of escape in Michigan in 1997 and drug offenses in New Hampshire in 2007.
In Massachusetts, he has been convicted of multiple assault and gun-related charges, most recently in 2021, when he was convicted of firing at officers.
Prosecutors said then that he should serve at least 10 years in prison, due to the “level of brazen violence” and because he was on probation for a 2014 conviction on assault and witness intimidation charges. A judge instead ordered Brown to serve five to six years in state prison and three years of probation with credit for nearly 18 months spent in custody.
At the time, the judge’s decision sparked outrage and criticism among local officials concerned that violent offenders were not being held accountable — concerns that have resurfaced. “Talk about a ball drop,” said the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association in a statement on social media.
This image provided by Cambridge District Court, Tyler Brown appears in court via zoom from a hospital bed on Thursday, May 14, 2026 in Cambridge, Mass. (Cambridge District Court via AP)
