Veteran Starter Returns to Mound For MN Twins

After Thursday’s Major League Baseball trade deadline came and went it felt as though Rocco Baldelli’s roster had no one left. The Minnesota Twins traded ten players from the 26-man group. It included basically the entire bullpen, and starter Joe Ryan was almost thrown in as well.

Ultimately Derek Falvey held the line on Ryan and he remained with the Twins, at least for now. Ryan got the start on Friday night as the Guardians walked off Minnesota to grab a 3-2 victory.

The Saturday tilt was initially listed as a “TBD” pitcher for Minnesota. The expectation was that Bailey Ober would return from his rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints. That has come to fruition.

Bailey Ober rejoins Minnesota Twins rotation

Minnesota had Bailey Ober pitch through injury while suggesting the struggles in performance were related to mechanical issues. Eventually logic gave in and he was placed on the injured list with a left hip impingement. Exactly a month later, he’s back.

The Twins have yet to make the move official. After adding eight players from the St. Paul Saints to fill out the big league roster on Friday, they’ll need to option someone for Ober.

Ober did not throw a pitch for the Twins during the month of July. He threw entirely too many in June. Across five starts, 30 innings, he allowed a franchise record 14 home runs. He gave up 30 runs on 38 hits and had just a 24/8 K/BB.

Bailey Ober, Ridiculous 83mph Changeup. 😳

26 Inches of Horizontal Break. pic.twitter.com/rGktpnUpKd

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 19, 2025

After bouncing back from a bad first start of the season, Ober posted a 2.76 ERA (3.10 FIP) in May. He came into June carrying a 3.43 ERA (3.73 FIP). By the time the calendar turned, and he was ultimately placed on the injured list, he owned a 5.28 ERA (5.31 FIP).

Related: Details Behind Red Sox’ Failed Attempt to Pry Joe Ryan from MN Twins

The way Ober fell apart represents another data point as to how and why the Twins found themselves positioned as sellers. Now the rest of the season is largely a proving ground where process will be evaluated as much as the results.

What does Ober bring back to the MN Twins?

After an initial shutdown, Ober took two turns with the St. Paul Saints during his rehab assignment. He threw a total of nine innings allowing one run on six hits with a 9/1 K/BB.

The 6’9″ starter isn’t a product of velocity. When he’s going right it’s his extension that gets pitches in on hitters and helps him to be effective. His average fastball velocity dipped to new lows during his tough stretch though, and that took him from reliable to ineffective incredibly quick.

Related: Minnesota Twins Sale Reportedly Gaining Steam… with Some Doubters

Pablo Lopez remains on the injured list for the Twins. Chris Paddack was traded to the Tigers prior to the deadline. Ober needs to be a veteran stabilizing force and prove he’s someone the franchise can count on next year and going forward.

If he’s healthy, it will be plenty evident and Minnesota will have a new pitcher on their hands. If he isn’t then an already assumed difficult final stretch will be that much more tough.