Before Sunday’s game with Toronto, the Twins placed right-hander Zebby Matthews on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain.

Matthews, 25, was recalled from Class AAA St. Paul on May 18 and has made four starts for the big league club, going 1-1 with a 5.21 earned-run average. He has fanned 25 and walked eight in 19 innings.

The move is retroactive to June 5.

“I kind of felt it after the bullpen in Tampa there. I was able to throw through it in Seattle and Sacramento. But ultimately now, I’m feeling it a little more,” Matthews said. “It’s mainly during the last part of the throw is when I feel lit. Everything else, it feels pretty good. We’re just trying to get it to loosen up and get back to feeling normal.”

Manager Rocco Baldelli was not caught off guard by the news.

“We’ve been essentially assessing him over the last few days to see what shape he’s in and then we got him looked at, got some imaging done. He’s going to down at least for a little while,” Baldelli said. “I’m not going to make any medical statements or give any timelines.”

Matthews does not expect to be out long.

“It seems to be something we can respond to, hopefully, pretty quick,” he said.

To take his place on the 26-man active roster, the Twins recalled left-hander Danny Coulombe from his rehab assignment and reinstated him from the 15-day Injured List.

Before being injured, Coulombe had made 19 appearances without allowing an earned run for the Twins. His 16.2 scoreless innings streak is tied for the second-longest active streak in baseball. He has allowed only eight hits, walked two and struck out 19.

The Twins are losing starters, and they’ll have to call up another to take Matthews’ spot in the rotation.

Baldelli said it’s “very likely” that Simeon Woods Richardson will be that player.

Demoted to St. Paul after going 2-2 in eight appearances, allowing 44 hits and 14 walks in 37 2/3 innings, the right hander is 2-0 with a 4.24 ERA in three starts for the Saints, allowing 15 hits and striking out 19 in 17 1/3 innings.

This week, the Twins learned they’ll be without their best starter, Pablo Lopez, for up to two months because of a muscle strain in his right shoulder. David Festa was called up to take his last spot in the rotation and was drilled for eight runs in a 14-3 loss to the A’s in West Sacramento, Calif.

“It’s definitely tough,” Matthews said. “I was feeling good out there, but it’s a great time for somebody else to step up and help the team in the ways that they can. So I’m excited for that.”

Back on the hill

In Saturday’s 5-4 loss to Toronto, Griffin Jax allowed two runs in the eighth and closer Jhoan Duran one in the ninth.

Both were back Sunday: Jax needing just nine pitches for a 1-2-3 eighth and Duran giving up one hit in the ninth before earning the save.

“We were going to get those guys out there. We have the day off tomorrow. We had the ability to do so,” Baldelli said. “I think in some ways they probably wanted to go out there and pitch. I don’t know that for a fact, if I’m being honest, but I think it’s always a good thing. You get back out there, get back on the horse. They threw good.”

Rangers up next

The Twins open a three-game home series with Texas on Tuesday. A starter has yet to be named for Tuesday, but David Festa and Bailey Ober are scheduled to start the Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon contests.