With the World Baseball Classic in full swing today, it may be hard for many to care about spring training. However, Twins fans should still tune in to Minnesota's Grapefruit League matchup against the Atlanta Braves at Lee Health Sports Complex in Fort Myers, Florida, at 5:05 p.m. CST tonight for one important reason: It'll mark Bailey Ober's first start of the spring. The game will be available to watch for free on MLB.TV.
Twins' Bailey Ober's start vs. Braves tonight will be vital in proving if he can return to form
Following a winter in which Ober did his best to regain his form while working with a specialist to address his nagging hip issue that plagued his 2025 season where he posted an awful 5.10 ERA over 27 starts, the righty didn't feel right during a couple of throwing sessions early this spring, according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach.
Instead of making his 2026 spring training debut while not feeling 100%, Ober threw an extra bullpen session and two live batting practice sessions, per Leach. The righty threw over 40 pitches over two simulated innings on Sunday, facing Royce Lewis, Matt Wallner, Ryan Jeffers, Kala’i Rosario and Orlando Arcia. Despite allowing a homer to Wallner, Ober looked sharp on the mound, Leach wrote.
“Felt great,” Ober said. "… I feel like my body was moving pretty well on my own, and I was moving fast.”
While watching the game tonight, fans should keep an eye on Ober's velocity and mechanics. While dealing with his hip issue last season, Ober's fastball averaged 90.3 mph. In 2024, his fastball averaged 91.7 mph.
Ober is now 30 years old, so his velocity may have just regressed with his older age. But 30 isn't that old, and Aroldis Chapman is still pumping 100-mph fastballs in his late 30s. It seems more likely that Ober's dip in velocity last year was more about his hip issue and possibly mechanical issues.
Twins desperately need Bailey Ober to return to form after Pablo López injury
Ober is slated to be Minnesota's No. 2 starter following López's season-ending UCL surgery. The rest of the rotation is full of promising but unproven starters. Simeon Woods Richardson and Taj Bradley are pretty much guaranteed rotation spots, with Zebby Matthews and Mick Abel likely battling for the fifth and final spot. David Festa was another Opening Day starting rotation candidate before he suffered a rotator cuff impingement, which will land the young righty on the IL for the beginning of the season.
Ober was a very solid starter for Minnesota in 2023 and 2024, pitching to a 3.73 ERA with a 26.2% strikeout rate and 5.6% walk rate in 323 innings across 57 starts during that span. Minnesota needs that version of Ober in 2026. Tonight will show if he has what it takes to return to form.