Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober Post Solid Results in Delayed Spring Debuts

Both pitchers will need to continue ramping up before the regular season begins, but neither allowed a run in their first spring training action of 2026.

Mar 10, 2026; Port Charlotte, Florida, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan (41) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning during spring training at Charlotte Sports Park. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

17 days after being scratched from the Twins' Grapefruit League opener, Joe Ryan made his first start of spring training on Tuesday. And while his velocity still needs to ramp up before Opening Day in a couple weeks, it was a solid debut outing for Minnesota's best pitcher.

Ryan threw 48 pitches over three innings in the Twins' 6-5 win over the Rays. 31 of them were strikes. He allowed two hits and two walks, but he stranded a couple runners in scoring position and didn't allow a run. A scoreless outing for a pitcher is always a good thing.

With that said, Ryan clearly still has work to do in the next couple weeks if he's going to be at full strength for the first game of the regular season on March 26 in Baltimore. He didn't strike out a batter over his three frames on Tuesday. In fact, he generated only three whiffs, all of which came on his splitter. Ryan's fastball velocity topped out at 93.5 miles per hour and averaged 92, which is notably down from his 93.7 MPH average last season.

Then again, that shouldn't be particularly surprising or concerning. This start for Ryan was about shaking off some rust, getting into a game setting again, and making sure he feels good. On that front, it sounds like things went well. Ryan was scratched from his scheduled start back on February 21 due to lower back tightness, but was relieved when an MRI revealed only minor inflammation.

The next outing for Ryan could be a much more significant one. He's a candidate to start for Team USA in the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic in Miami on March 15 or 16, assuming they don't suffer a shocking upset in the quarterfinals. That kind of competitive situation, if it happens, would be a good test of Ryan's progress.

Following his spring training debut, Twins starter Joe Ryan said his "back feels good and is ready to get going."

On his availability for the WBC: "We'll talk and check in this week and see where we're at, but I think things are looking pretty good." #MNTwins https://t.co/MpSRbJajAj

— Declan Goff (@DexsTweets) March 10, 2026

Ober also solid in debut

On Friday night, the Twins had another spring debut for an important starting pitcher when Bailey Ober took the mound for the first time. He threw just 25 pitches and retired all six batters he faced over two innings, with one strikeout and five whiffs. All of the five batted balls he allowed had an exit velocity below 96 miles per hour.

Ober's fastball topped out at 91.1 MPH and averaged just under 90. He'll also want to ramp that up a bit, even though he's never been a pitcher with big velocity. Ober delayed his participation in spring games while focusing on getting his mechanics right in bullpen sessions. He figures to stretch out over the course of a couple more starts this spring.

Wallner hits his first homer of the spring

On Tuesday, the Twins didn't score a run until the eighth inning, when Matt Wallner led off with his first home run this spring. It left his bat at 108.2 MPH and went 402 feet. After a slow start, Wallner's spring training OPS is up to .787.

Catcher David Bañuelos then gave the Twins the lead with a three-run double in what turned out to be a six-run inning.