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Body Failing Minnesota Twins Pitcher?
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- Body Failing Minnesota Twins Pitcher?
Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
When the Minnesota Twins lost ace starting pitcher Pablo Lopez , their already-slim 2026 playoff hopes turned non-existent. Since, Joe Ryan escaped a similar spring fate , after he was pulled from his first Grapefruit League start with back tightness that an MRI revealed to be nothing serious.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for David Festa , who exited his bid for a spot in the MN Twins starting rotation on Opening Day when he went on injured reserve with a shoulder injury that's expected to keep him out through March.
Credit: Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
When they got to Fort Myers, Tom Pohlad and Derek Shelton tried to convey hope for the upcoming season. Unfortunately, most of that was built on the starting rotation, which now could be a weakness, if starters 2-5 do not outperform expectations.
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And in that number two slot for Minnesota's opening series in Baltimore later this month is expected to be Bailey Ober , who's one of many Twins players looking to bounce back after a troublesome 2025.
Bailey Ober a question mark for Minnesota Twins Opening Day roster?
But there's a problem. Bailey Ober has yet to appear in a Grapefruit League game yet in 2026. Why? Well, the 30-year-old former 12th round draft pick is finally set to make his spring debut on Friday, but to this point, his velocity and stuff down in Florida have been lagging.
According to SKOR North's Declan Goff — who's now been working the Twins' home beat for a few years — Bailey Ober's body might be failing him.
"I think his body is failing him."
– @DexsTweets on if the #MNTwins should be sounding the alarm on Bailey Ober pic.twitter.com/vCPMxGwYHt— SKOR North – Minnesota Sports (@SKORNorth) March 5, 2026
"My sense is that his body is failing him. That's what I think is happening here. Like he's 6'9″, he's huge, and I think his body is failing him. For the last two months before Spring Training, he went to Florida, worked on his hips and his mechanics to get him back to where he is. He's never been a high velo guy. He's never been 95-96, he is 91-92 and has the extension to get there. He doesn't need to throw hard to be effective, and he has a great changeup. But, once you start losing a little bit of that velo and your mechanics get a little wonky, he then just goes complete kaput. I think this is a significant issue for the Twins rotation hopes and success."
That's not a good sign for Ober, who never looked right for the MN Twins last season — which resulted in a career-worst 5.10 ERA (4.90 FIP) over 146.1 innings pitched in 2025. His SO/9 also fell drastically, from 9.6 in 2024 down to 7.4 last summer.
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Goff was down in Fort Myers last month where, until Friday vs the Braves, Ober hasn't thrown anything but live batting practice and bullpen sessions.
For a pitcher like Ober — whose fastball sits in the low 90's — the margin for error is miniscule. But it got razor thin last year when Bailey's fastball went from > 91 mph — where it was for each of his first four MLB seasons — down to the tune of a 90.2 mph average .
Ober confused, frustrated by struggles at MN Twins camp
Talking with Dan Hayes (The Athletic) , Ober confirmed, not just his spring training struggles — but also the obvious frustration his sudden lack of stuff is causing him.
"It is crazy frustrating, especially when you had it in camp,. Then you get here, and you're like, 'Where the f— is my s—? Like, where is it?' … Some stuff was getting away from what I was working on this offseason, but I'm feeling healthy, and I think this past week I was able to get back to how I want to feel on the mound mechanically."
Pete Maki, Minnesota Twins pitching coach said, "relative to the rest of spring, it's the best he's been" when asked about his backfield work on Sunday. Hopefully, that's a sign that whatever has been holding Bailey Ober back the first few weeks of spring training are now behind him.
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It's worth mentioning, however, that in the simulated action Maki was speaking on, Ober walked two batters and gave up a bomb to Matt Wallner . So, there's that…
Ultimately, the Twins can talk themselves into whatever they want, but if Ober melts down on the exhibition mound Friday, it's very possible Minnesota could be out yet another of its rotation locks entering spring.
Bailey Ober in 2024 (works) versus Bailey Ober in 2025 (doesn't) https://t.co/n6xO4vdkiW pic.twitter.com/yPkNVkMoqc
— Ted (@tlschwerz) March 4, 2026
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