Twins Pitching Matchups vs. Yankees: Connor Prielipp Has Start Skipped

The Twins are being cautious with Prielipp's workload as he approaches his career high in innings.

Jun 28, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins pitcher Connor Prielipp (61) throws a pitch against the Colorado Rockies during the first inning at Target Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Coming off one of the best starts of his young career, Twins rookie pitcher Connor Prielipp was lined up to have quite the challenge this weekend. The 25-year-old lefty was scheduled to square off with three-time All-Star Carlos Rodon at Yankee Stadium on Saturday.

But Prielipp won't make that start. The Twins are skipping his turn in the rotation as they look to manage his innings in a season that is already approaching the heaviest workload of his baseball career. Prielipp won't pitch until sometime next week at Target Field, when he makes his final start before the All-Star break.

Due to several major injuries, Prielipp threw a grand total of 58 competitive innings over a five-year span between 2020 (his freshman year at the University of Alabama) and 2024. He was then finally healthy enough to throw a career-high 82.2 innings in the upper minor leagues last year.

After a six-inning, 10-strikeout gem against the Rockies last Sunday, Prielipp is up to 77.1 innings pitched this season between the Twins and Triple-A St. Paul. The Twins have already pushed back his outings at times this year in an effort to manage his workload, so it doesn't come as much of a surprise to see them do it again just before the All-Star break. This move also has the benefit of shielding him from what would be a very tough matchup against the Yankees' offense.

Here's a look at the updated pitching matchups for a big series this weekend between the Twins (42-46, 2.5 games back in AL wild card) and Yankees (48-38).

Friday: Mike Paredes (4.26 ERA) vs. Gerrit Cole (4.06)

This could be a tough one for the Twins, who haven't won a series at Yankee Stadium since 2014. Paredes has held his own while filling in for the injured Bailey Ober, but his underlying numbers suggest he's due for regression. Cole hasn't quite looked like his Cy Young self since returning from Tommy John surgery, but he's still Gerrit Cole and is 5-0 with a 2.43 ERA against the Twins.

Saturday: Zebby Matthews (4.15) vs. Carlos Rodon (3.30)

The Yankees also have the on-paper advantage in this one. Matthews has looked a lot better over his last few starts, allowing five earned runs in 20 innings against three good teams (Rangers, Dodgers, Astros). He barely walks anyone but has given up a lot of hard contact this season, which is dangerous in a ballpark like Yankee Stadium. Rodon is having another strong season but does have a very high walk rate.

Sunday: Joe Ryan (3.61) vs. Ryan Weathers (4.08)

If the Twins can find a way to win one of the first two games this weekend, they'll have their ace on the mound for the rubber match. Ryan's having a great season with 113 strikeouts and only 22 walks, although he's coming off his worst start of the year on Tuesday in Houston. He is also susceptible to giving up hard contact and home runs. So is Weathers, who is the on-paper weak link in the Yankees' rotation.

With some less-than-ideal pitching matchups and a very shaky bullpen, the Twins are going to need their bats to show up this weekend to at least avoid a sweep against a team that has dominated them like no other over the course of this century.