Twins put Kenta Maeda on 15-day injured list; Bailey Ober joins the starting rotation

The Twins have placed starting pitcher Kenta Maeda on the 15-day injured list with a right triceps strain and recalled right-hander Bailey Ober to the 26-man roster in time to pitch Saturday's game against Kansas City at Target Field.

Maeda left Wednesday's start after he allowed 10 runs and didn't retire five batters he faced in the fourth inning. He had a MRI later that afternoon and on Friday Twins head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta said it was diagnosed a triceps strain at the back of Maeda's elbow — and that it's unrelated to the Tommy John surgery that caused Maeda to miss the 2022 season.

He was placed on the IL retroactive to Thursday. "So we treat it just like a muscle strain," Paparesta said. "Until the symptoms go away, we won't pick up a baseball or do any type of plyometric activity with him. Three days, five days, seven days, we just kind of have to play it day-by-day with him."

Paparesta said becoming symptom free is the first step. The second is some throwing to see how he does.

He said both Maeda and starting pitcher Tyler Mahle will be shut down from throwing until their arm symptoms subside.

Mahle allowed one run in four innings during Thursday's series-starting 7-1 victory over Kansas City.

Mahler's diagnosis is "posterior impingement" at the back of his elbow. He'll take anti-inflammatories until his symptoms subside.

"We'll see how things go over the next 48, 72 hours," Paparesta said. "Will that affect his next start? We'll have to wait and see on that."

Ober's recall allows those pitchers next in the rotation — Sonny Gray and Joe Ryan foremost among them — to get extra rest.