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Both clubs that call Fort Myers home as the precursor to the Major League Baseball regular season are busy at work fine-tuning rosters, ramping up activity and getting swings and arms right for when the games mean the most. <\/p>\n
The Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox play mere miles from one another across Daniels Parkway, with snowbirds, visitors and now full-time residents alike getting the first look at what the 2026 version of their favorite clubs will be. <\/p>\n
Friday evening at Lee Health Sports Complex, one of the Twins most important arms made his first start of Spring Training against the Braves after being hampered by lower-body injuries last season. <\/p>\n
The 6-foot-9 Bailey Ober retired the side in order in two consecutive innings while throwing 19 of his 25 pitches for strikes, punching out one. <\/p>\n
\u201cFelt great,\u201d Ober said of his outing. \u201cFelt really good to be out there during game action instead of being in live BP like I have been. Felt really good to put the uniform on, have the defense behind me and be in a game atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a fastball in the low-90s and a devastating change-up, Ober looked in control, and thankfully, for both he and the Twins, healthy. <\/p>\n
Of his change-up, Ober said, \u201cIt\u2019s my pitch \u2014 my highest off speed usage pitch. Just trying to get a feel of it early so I can progress [it], and put it in my back pocket.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, I feel really healthy right now. [I\u2019m] happy where I\u2019m at today, just being able to go out there, get outs, get bad swings, and looking forward to my next outing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fighting through both knee and hip issues last season, he did show signs of the right-hander Twins fans are familiar with. From April 5 to May 25, Ober went 4-0 with a 2.28 ERA, striking out 43 across 10 starts. He ended up on the IL for the first time since 2022 in early July after a brutal June. <\/p>\n
So, how difficult was it for Ober to say \u201cuncle\u201d and come out of the rotation last season?<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a player, sometimes you\u2019ve got to check your ego and do what\u2019s best for yourself and do what\u2019s best for the team,\u201d he said. \u201cI pitched on it for the first two months of the season, and had success throwing on it, and then it just got to a point where I wasn\u2019t able to and had to look myself in the mirror and take a step back and kind of regroup and go from there. But as big leaguers, we pitch through stuff all the time. <\/p>\n
\u201cNow, usually those things don\u2019t last six months. Usually, maybe a start or two, and then you\u2019re right back in the groove of things. So, yeah, just learning from that. And you know, hopefully, I mean, I\u2019m gonna face something like that down the road, maybe I\u2019m a little bit more prepared for it now.\u201d<\/p>\n
With weeks still left to go in camp and, like everybody else, using the time to get ready for the grueling 162-game regular season, he feels he\u2019s in a great position to be ready to start the year on time. <\/p>\n
\u201cDefinitely taking steps forward to where I want to be,\u201d Ober said. \u201cI felt like the ball was coming out good. I felt like I had uncomfortable at-bats the whole time. I was throwing strikes. Didn\u2019t seem like anyone really hit anything hard. That\u2019s kind of what I\u2019m looking for when I\u2019m out there-just being able to locate. I would like to locate a little bit better with two strikes to get some punch outs instead of weak contact, but, we\u2019ll take outs any way we get them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ober\u2019s health will be crucial for a Twins rotation already without Pablo L\u00f3pez and question marks on the back end. <\/p>\n
Manager Derek Shelton said he was pleased with Ober\u2019s outing, and has full faith he\u2019ll be ready to go by the regular season with the ability to make at least three more spring starts. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re in pretty good shape,\u201d Shelton said regarding the time left in camp for Ober to get ready. \u201cWe\u2019re in a good spot. I think we were very diligent with just making sure that before he touched a mound in a game that his delivery was in a space that [he was happy with].\u201d<\/p>\n
Red Sox starting rotation<\/p>\n
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Possibly the most interesting aspect to this year\u2019s camp for the Boston Red Sox will be who secures that fifth spot in the pitching rotation to start that year. <\/p>\n
Headlined by Cy Young runner-up Garrett Crochet, bolstered by newcomers Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray, and young phenom Brayan Bello, there are also three other arms poised to take down the final spot in the rotation. <\/p>\n
Those names include top prospects Connelly Early and Payton Tolle, as well as the righty who made his third Spring Training start of the year on Saturday afternoon, Johan Oviedo. <\/p>\n
Oviedo, who was acquired via trade from Pittsburgh this offseason, continued his scoreless spring for the Sox Saturday afternoon in a 2-0 rain-shortened win over Tampa Bay. <\/p>\n
Across 3 1\/3 innings, Oviedo allowed two hits and struck out four without allowing a free pass. He threw 47 pitches, with 32 of them for strikes. <\/p>\n
In the 6-foot-6 Cuban native\u2019s first Spring Training start, he gave up three walks. In two starts since, his control has substantially improved. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe executed pitches,\u201d Oviedo said. \u201cThat\u2019s the main planning in here \u2014 get ahead and try to not walk and give free bases. We\u2019re looking for results.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maybe most impressive was the 28-year-old\u2019s fastball, which clocked in a hair under 98 mph consistently. All four of Oviedo\u2019s strikeouts came via batters swinging through the heater. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe just keep working and getting improvement every start,\u201d Oviedo said of his fastball control. \u201cThe main goal is to get ahead, command the four-seamer, play around the zone and get good results.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having undergone Tommy John surgery in 2024, last year Oviedo made nine starts for the Pirates, posting a 3.57 ERA with 42 strikeouts across 40 1\/3 innings, with opposing hitters batting just .182 against him. In his last full season in 2023, Oviedo pitched to a 4.31 ERA across 32 starts and 177 2\/3 innings. <\/p>\n
This year, he\u2019s hoping to be the fifth man in a Red Sox rotation with stability in front of whomever that final starter will be. <\/p>\n
\u201cAll of my energy [goes towards] working hard every day and trying to complement everything that the team and the coaches want me to do,\u201d Oviedo said. \u201cI just want to be healthy and let them decide what\u2019s best for the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Oviedo voiced his what\u2019s-best-for-the-team mindset, he admits he wants the job. <\/p>\n
\u201cI would be lying if I said \u2018no,\u2019 but for me, it\u2019s more about a fight against myself,\u201d Oviedo said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMain goal is always get better every day \u2014 on workouts and pitches, on trying to do my homework every day. As long as I can do that, everything will be in place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oviedo has not allowed a run over eight innings of Grapefruit League play, striking out nine and allowing just five hits to a .185 opponent batting average. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe can live in the strike zone,\u201d Manager Alex Cora said. \u201cHe induces weak contact. There\u2019s swings and misses. If we keep doing that, we\u2019re going to have a good one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of where his control has shifted from that first outing to now, Cora said, \u201cIt\u2019s a mindset. Bello kind of showed him who he is in the strike zone compared to other good ones in the league, and, when that happens, he\u2019s one of the best. The numbers show that. We\u2019ve just got to stay in the strike zone.\u201d<\/p>\n