Twins reinstate starting pitcher Bailey Ober from injured list after trade deadline fire sale
The Twins have reinstated right-handed starting pitcher Bailey Ober, who has been on the shelf with a left hip impingement since July 2, from the 15-day IL, the team announced. He is scheduled to make the start on the mound against the Cleveland Guardians at 3:10 p.m. CT on Saturday at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.
Ober recently made two rehab starts with the St. Paul Saints while recovering from his injury, hurling four scoreless innings while allowing four hits and no walks and striking out three on July 18 before giving up one run on two hits and a walk with six strikeouts in five innings on July 25. Ober’s velocity, which has been cause for concern this season, averaged around 90 mph and topped out around 92 mph during his rehab assignment.
Ober’s poor season has been one of the more disappointing developments for the Twins this year. He struggled significantly in June, allowing 30 earned runs on 38 hits (14 home runs) and eight walks in 30 innings pitched. If Ober had a better June, it's possible the Twins would not have traded away nearly half of their major league roster.
At the beginning of the season, it seemed like Ober was one of the best starting pitchers in baseball. Before his awful June, he went on an 11-start stretch where he had a 2.43 ERA with 47 strikeouts across 59 ⅓ innings.
Ober’s struggles likely had to do with his left hip impingement, as The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman reported that he was dealing with discomfort around three weeks before he was placed on the IL. Hopefully he is feeling 100% healthy now, and his stats during his rehab assignment plus his success in previous seasons suggest that he will turn his season around. Who knows, maybe Ober will lead a playoff resurgence for the Twins.
As stated earlier in the article, Ober will make his first start since landing on the IL against the Guardians on Saturday. He will be opposed on the mound by right-handed starting pitcher Tanner Bibee, who has a 4.39 ERA with 107 strikeouts in 121 innings across 21 outings this season.