Ober sharp in 1st start back from IL; Jeffers nearing return

MINNEAPOLIS – The Twins’ starting rotation turnover continued Thursday with one pitcher activated and another headed to the injured list.

As expected, right-hander Bailey Ober was reinstated from the 15-day IL after missing more than a month with a right elbow injury. He took the roster spot of rookie reliever Marco Raya, who was placed on the IL on Wednesday.

Somewhat less expected, though not shocking, was that rookie lefty Connor Prielipp was placed on the IL following his start Wednesday night. Prielipp has been managing a blister on his pitching hand over a period of weeks, and it burst during that game. The club is also aggressively managing Prielipp’s workload. He was likely to have an extended time between starts spanning the All-Star break anyway, so the timing works out.

“We’ve given it nine days, but he’s throwing during that time,” manager Derek Shelton said. “And we’ve given him 10 days and he’s throwing. So we’re going to have to give him some time where there’s just some no-throw just to take the friction away from it.”

Minnesota recalled fellow rookie left-hander Kendry Rojas to take Prielipp’s roster spot. Rojas has been a Swiss Army knife for the Twins this year, making starts, pitching long relief and pitching in some high-leverage spots. He last pitched for Triple-A St. Paul on July 3, so in the short term, he’s available to deliver multiple innings.

Ober deals

Even better than Ober returning was how it went once he was on the mound. Though the Twins lost, 5-2, to the Guardians on Thursday, Ober was in fine form. He allowed a run on three hits over five innings, striking out five against one walk. He threw nearly two-thirds of his 74 pitches for strikes and averaged 88.2 miles per hour on his fastball – just a smidge down from his season average of 88.5

It was a start that could have come right out of his strong run through April and the first part of May, and an encouraging sign for what he could provide in the second half.

“I felt good today,” Ober said. “I felt like my changeup could have been a little bit better, but I felt close to being kind of where I was in that spot. Just being able to mix heater locations, mix spin types. I thought my sweeper was diving really late today, getting some swings. Sneaking some heaters by guys and keeping them off balance.”

Jeffers close to return

Catcher Ryan Jeffers, who has been out since mid-May following a fractured hamate bone in his left hand, was in the clubhouse on Thursday morning and is likely to be activated imminently, quite possibly as early as Friday.

He played a total of five games on a Minor League rehab assignment, including the last two on the road with St. Paul in Iowa. But he returned Thursday and proclaimed himself ready to go.

“I felt pretty good this weekend but wanted to go down to Iowa and get some more games,” he said. “Get a larger sample size. But physically felt good. I felt like I was tracking the ball well, getting back in the groove of things. It feels good, yeah.”

Twins tidbits

Left-hander Anthony Banda underwent surgery to repair his injured lat muscle, and he is not expected to pitch again this year. He should be ready for Spring Training. … Luke Keaschall made a second straight start in center field on Thursday after never starting there before in the Major Leagues. … Right-hander Matt Bowman, who began the year in the Twins' organization before exercising a contract opt-out, is back with the organization on a Minor League deal. He’s joined the St. Paul roster.