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The Twins placed righthander Bailey Ober on the injured list Wednesday, citing a left hip impingement. That Ober was dealing with pain and/or a compromised range of motion in that hip has been no secret for a solid month, but because the issue began to flare just when Pablo López and Zebby Matthews were felled by shoulder trouble, Ober pitched through it for as long as possible. It was a noble and necessary gamble on his part. Teammates respected his willingness to do it, and the organization would have had to scramble furiously to fill his rotation spot in the aftermath of the López and Matthews injuries.
However, the results were hideous. Ober's starts became increasingly non-competitive, with uncharacteristic bouts of wildness and far, far too many home runs by opposing batters. That Ober continued to absorb innings and take pressure off the bullpen in most of those discouraging outings added another layer of value for the team, but it was untenable. Now, the scramble they briefly delayed is on.
Kody Funderburk will become a ninth man in the team's bullpen for the final two games of their road trip, but the question is who will take Ober's place in the starting rotation on Friday—and, in all likelihood, for the one start left between that game and the All-Star break. The most likely candidates are Marco Raya and Travis Adams, each of whom is on the 40-man roster and each of whom have pitched bulk innings all year for the St. Paul Saints. Raya is the one on schedule for a Friday appearance, although the team could always use a bullpen day or shuffle their rotation a bit.
This is also why the team acquired Connor Gillispie and José Ureña in recent days. Gillispie is also on the 40-man roster, and since none stand out based on performance or short-term upside, Gillispie, Adams and Raya can all be considered co-favorites for that spot in the rotation over the next fortnight. If, as seems likely, the Twins slouch out of the playoff race entirely and become sellers this month, there could be opportunities for more than one of that quartet, as the team would be more likely to handle Ober, López and Matthews carefully—and could field calls on both Chris Paddack and Joe Ryan before the trade deadline.
Ober has become a walking symbol of the team's season. He made a valiant effort to work through adversity and find success, but he's been unable to do his best work almost all year, and now, it looks like it'll be a lost year for him. It might well be so for the team, too. Hopefully, at the very least, some rest will bring relief and help Ober get back into a groove near the end of this year, and he can return to his previous form in 2026. Nothing is guaranteed, though, especially for 6-foot-9 pitchers.
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