In a surprise move, the Minnesota Twins have optioned starting pitcher Bailey Ober to Triple-A St. Paul and called up left-handed reliever Kody Funderburk.
Ober is 6-6 with a 3.67 ERA this season with 120 strikeouts, but has experienced a recent slump.
The 28-year old righty hadn’t pitched past five innings in any of his last five starts while giving up 15 earned runs in those five games.
Ober’s demotion comes after Joe Ryan returned to the rotation from the injury list, and follows the addition of Dallas Keuchel as an additional starter, behind Sonny Gray, Ryan, Pablo Lopez, and Kenta Maeda.
Funderburk had a 2.60 ERA in 52 innings with the Saints this season. The 26-year old lefty was a 15th-round selection by the Twins in 2018.
In a surprising move, the #MNTwins optioned Bailey Ober to Triple A. They’ve selected the contract of LHP reliever Kody Funderburk and transferred Oliver Ortega to the 60-day injured list.
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) August 28, 2023
