Bailey Ober

January 29, 2026

Pitched through hip problems

Ober pitched through persistent hip issues last season, both before and after his IL trip in July, Matthew Leach of MLB.com reports. "I just never felt like I had a stable base throwing," Ober said. "It felt like my release was off almost every single throw. Sometimes I'd have 10 throws in a row where it felt great, and the next 10 are like, 'I don't know where this is going.' It was a sharp pain, and I didn't feel strong in my front leg to block."

Analysis

Ober suggested at TwinsFest this past weekend that he has fully recovered from the injury this offseason. It's worth noting that even when he went on the IL and missed the month of July, the right-hander was never fully shut down, instead attacking the inflammation with medication while throwing on the side. It's difficult to buy into a complete turnaround given the depths of Ober's collapse last season, but it doesn't provide an explanation and some reason for optimism.