It was mid-March when the Twins locked in their rotation to begin the season by optioning Zebby Matthews and David Festa to Triple-A. Both had spent time in the rotation the year prior, and the Twins were feeling good about their depth options with those two ready to fill in when needed for rotation that featured Pablo López, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Chris Paddack and Simeon Woods Richardson.

“All the guys we’re talking about right now: ‘We’re going to need them this year,” manager Rocco Baldelli said that day in March. “That’s not a maybe. That’s a definite. So, you like starting the year knowing that you have guys that you trust and guys that you can turn to.”

That time has come, and the Twins’ rotation depth is getting a serious test.

The Twins recalled Woods Richardson, who started Tuesday night and gave up seven runs (six earned) in 4 2/3 innings against the Texas Rangers. That move was in response to Matthews going on the injured list days earlier with a shoulder strain. Earlier last week, López suffered a Grade 2 teres major strain that will keep him sidelined for two to three months, prompting the Twins to call up Festa.

Matthews had joined the rotation in mid-May in place of Woods Richardson, who at the time of his demotion to Triple-A had a 5.02 earned-run average through his first eight starts. Now, with two injured starters, the Twins have had to tap heavily into their rotation depth. They will be reliant on Festa and Woods Richardson to hold down rotation spots alongside Ryan, who could potentially be in line for his first All-Star Game appearance, Paddack and Ober.

“All we want our guys to do is get ready for their start, go give us a chance to win. That’s it,” Baldelli said. “Our starters have been great. In the good run of baseball that we’ve had this year, our starters have been an enormous part of that, and they don’t have to adjust or try to step up.”

For Woods Richardson, the call up comes after making three starts at Triple-A. He spent nearly all of last season in the majors, taking hold of a rotation spot when Louie Varland struggled early. But his sophomore campaign got off to a rocky start, leading to the trip to St. Paul where, Baldelli said, they talked to him about adjustments.

“He was working on his split changeup. He’s kind of gone back and forth a little bit in working on that pitch,” Baldelli said.

Buxton impressed

Byron Buxton has made plenty of highlight reel catches over the course of his career, but even he was impressed by rookie Denzel Clarke’s home run robbery on Monday night.

The Athletics’ center fielder, who debuted last month, raced back on a Nolan Schanuel fly ball, timed his jump and then reached for the ball with the upper half of his body going over the outfield fence at Angel Stadium. When he came back into the field of play, the ball was in his glove.

Buxton watched the catch with his 11-year-old son, Brixton, and described his own reaction as that of “a little kid.”

“Me and my little boy (were) actually jumping up and down,” Buxton said. “He was like, ‘Dad, you ain’t done that.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I probably won’t.’ Like that’s one of the plays you dream about as a center fielder. … That was by far the best catch you’re going to see.”

Briefly

To make room on the roster for Woods Richardson, the Twins sent down rookie pitcher Travis Adams. Adams was called up Friday but did not pitch before being optioned back to Triple-A. … Festa will start the second game of the Texas series. He will be opposed by right-hander Jack Leiter.