The Twins rotation hits just keep on coming. The right hand David Festawho entered camp hoping to find a spot in the starting lineup, was diagnosed with a shoulder contusion and will be sidelined for at least two to three weeks, according to Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune. He received an injection and is likely to open the season on the 15-day disabled list.
Since camp opened two weeks ago, Minnesota has been missing Pablo López throughout the season (internal thoracic surgery) and saw the No. 1 start Joe Ryan reduced swelling in his lower back. Ryan has started throwing, but what looks like a tight-knit twin rotation mix is starting to slow down quickly.
Assuming Ryan’s backstory proves to be minor, the Twins will enter the season with him in right field as well Bailey Ober closed spots. That’s right Simeon Woods Richardson he’s out of the minor leagues and down through 2025, so he’s likely to hold the third spot. Festa was competing against the home righty Zebby Matthews and 2025 trade acquisitions Hello Bradley (found Griffin Jax) and Mick Abel (found John Duran) spots behind the group. All four were top 100 players in the game prior to their respective starts.
For now, the competition for those two remaining spots appears to have been reduced to three (Matthews, Bradley, Abel). There are other longshot options in camp, such as southpaw prospects Connor Prielipp again Kendry Rojasand it’s okay Andrew Morris. All three are on the 40-man roster, but none of the three have made their major league debut. Prielipp and Rojas never pitched in Triple-A.
Festa’s injury is the latest health-related setback in the lanky righty’s rise. The 2021 13th-rounder looked like a steal thanks to his shocking numbers and blocking numbers when he came up through the minors, but he’s now been slowed by two separate injuries to the same shoulder in the past year. Festa has made 25 career starts in Triple-A, pitching to a 3.46 ERA with a 33.2% strikeout rate, a 9.7% walk rate and a north of 16% swing rate. He had a good start in the majors but lacked consistency, working to a 5.12 ERA overall in 117 2/3 frames dating back to his 2024 start.
As the injuries to the Twins staff increase, it will mean they are looking outside the organization. New executive chairman Tom Pohlad, who took over from his younger brother Joe when the Twins introduced a handful of new owners in December, has said since taking that new position that the Twins “want to be aggressive” and believe they can compete despite being sold last summer in July. Pohlad publicly confirmed that his club ran Framber Valdez before he signed with Detroit, hoping to take advantage of Valdez’s missed opportunity on the market.
None of the remaining starters in free company – Lucas Giolito, Zack Littell, Tyler Anderson between them – he could match Valdez’s output, but someone like Giolito or Littell could at least give the Twins reliable middle innings to help lose López and provide insurance while Ryan and Festa deal with what will appear to be minor injury issues. Payroll’s payroll is currently projected to be about $30MM at last year’s levels and about $50MM off the 2023 peak. That, coupled with their interest in Valdez, certainly suggests there is room in the budget for another established arm.
Going back to Festa specifically, it’s a frustrating setback for the lanky 6’6″, 185-pound righty, but there’s no immediate indication that it could be a long-term problem. He enters the 2026 season with 1.052 years of major league service and a minor league option remaining. Gemini rules the 25-year-old boy for at least five years. If the rotation role doesn’t work, Festa’s 94.5 mph heater and above-average slider and changeup can all play a relief role. The Minnesota bullpen looks even more uncertain than the rotation and will need several young, unproven starters to play a significant role to avoid being one of the weakest teams in the sport (minus veteran signings).
