The Minnesota Twins' roster has undergone drastic changes over the last 72 hours. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli saw his team trade away Carlos Correa and other major contributors. However, Joe Ryan and the rest of the starting rotation made it through the Major League Baseball trade deadline. Now, Minnesota welcomes back Bailey Ober against the Cleveland Guardians.
Ober missed more than a month with a hip injury. The Twins put him on their 15-day injured list, but he needed extra time to make a full recovery. However, Minnesota activated him from the IL upon his return from his rehab assignment, according to the team's social media page.
Ober re-enters the rotation as the No. 2 pitcher behind Ryan. Despite the trade interest in those two and Pablo Lopez, the Twins help on to all of them. However, their chances at making a postseason push suffered a fatal blow at the trade deadline. Along with sending Correa to the Houston Astros, Baldelli lost former All-Star Willi Castro to the Chicago Cubs.
Ober came off the injured list to face the Guardians in an American League Central matchup. Both squads sit well behind the Detroit Tigers at the top of the division. With the division title likely out of the picture, Minnesota's focus shifts to the AL Wild Card picture. Unfortunately for the Twins, they are seven games out of the final berth.
Baldelli and Minnesota's front office did what they could to build a contender this season. Despite a strong showing in May, an injury to Byron Buxton forced the Twins to give up on this season. No team looks more different after the trade deadline than Minnesota does. While the playoffs are not expected, Baldelli has his work cut out for him for the rest of the season.
Luckily for him, he has Ober back in the mix. The veteran righty enters Saturday's game hoping to snap a streak of five straight losses. Unfortunately for him, he will have even less run support than he did before his injury. The Twins' offense has been compromised, leaving Ober, Ryan, and the rest of the team's starters in a tough spot.
