TAMPA -- Right-hander Zebby Matthews was removed from Thursday’s 8-4 win over the Yankees due to hip discomfort. Matthews slipped on a ground ball by Paul Goldschmidt and was removed before throwing another pitch.

“Leg slipped a little bit, just kind of aggravated,” Matthews said. “Just precautionary. Definitely could have kept pitching.”

Matthews’ status for the coming days is unclear, though he’ll likely be sidelined for at least a bit. But it seems to be good news that there was no arm issue. The overall tone in the clubhouse postgame was not one of excessive worry regarding the righty.

“Obviously he went hard after that ball, made a nice play,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I thought I saw his foot slip, I think a couple of the guys saw it even more from whatever angle they had, a little more pronounced than I saw it. But I think that’s when he felt it. We’ll evaluate him tomorrow.”

Before the injury, Matthews pitched 1 1/3 innings, throwing 13 pitches. He worked around two baserunners to escape a third-inning jam.

Matthews, 24, sped up the Twins’ organizational ladder last year, starting with High-A Cedar Rapids and advancing all the way to the Majors when injuries hit Minnesota's starting rotation. He made nine starts, going 1-4 with a 6.69 ERA, and came into camp as a contender for a spot in the 2025 rotation.

The right-hander has thrown well this spring, not allowing a run or a walk in 6 1/3 innings spanning three appearances.