Twins bring Bailey Ober back to majors for Royals finale Sunday

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Twins' semiweekly restructuring of their pitching staff will bring Bailey Ober back to the majors, the team confirmed Saturday, along with a new arm in the bullpen.

Ober, out all of May with a strained right groin, will start Sunday's finale against the Royals, while Trevor Megill, a righthander claimed off waivers last November, will likely make his Twins debut in Kauffman Stadium as well after being summoned from Class AAA St. Paul.

To make room for the new pitchers, the Twins optioned lefthander Devin Smeltzer to St. Paul and placed righthander Josh Winder on the injured list with an impingement in his pitching shoulder. The injury is considered minor, but Winder will spent two weeks resting the shoulder to make sure it doesn't get worse.

Because Megill, a 28-year-old from Long Beach, Calif., was not on the team's 40-man roster, the Twins had to designate for assignment another pitcher, righthander Chris Vallimont, who was acquired in 2019 in the Sergio Romo trade with Miami.

Ober was off to a strong start to his second season in the majors, posting a 2.75 ERA in four starts before leaving his April 28 start against the Tigers in the fourth inning after feeling tightness in his groin. He pitched a rehab game last weekend for the Saints, and pronounced himself completely healthy again this week.

Megill, who was originally drafted by the Padres and who appeared in three games for the Cubs last summer, had a 3.27 ERA at St. Paul, with 15 strikeouts in 11 innings.

Vallimont was placed on the 40-man roster last November, but his control problems have only worsened this season. After leading the entire organization in walks a year ago, he had walked another 23 hitters in just 19 innings for the Wind Surge this season. With 21 earned runs as well, his ERA stood at 9.95 in seven appearances, six of them starts.