Worst Case Scenario for Young MN Twins Starter

The Minnesota Twins have been working towards a better bill of health in their starting rotation. Simeon Woods Richardson returned from a surgery following a parasite. Zebby Matthews got back after a shoulder strain. Pablo Lopez is next in line and could return on Friday in Kansas City.

David Festa was on track to be the next in those footsteps. He pitched last week at Triple-A for the St. Paul Saints and looked good. Unfortunately the outcome isn’t going to be a positive one.

David Festa likely done for season

In his first, and what will be the only rehab start that David Festa made for Triple-A St. Paul, he threw 48 pitches. That looked like a straightforward workload to open a return to play. Five days later, his season appears to be over.

Sounds as if #MNTwins will shut down David Festa for the season. Had a reoccurrence of his shoulder issues last week. Set to visit Dr. Meister.

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) September 2, 2025

The bad news doesn’t end with Festa being shut down for the year. A meeting with Dr. Keith Meister could result in a surgical procedure. While Tommy John is the most well-known surgery for pitchers, those to the should are often much more difficult to return from.

Last season Festa debuted at the big league level and pitched 14 games (13 starts). He posted a 4.90 ERA (3.76 FIP) and the hope was that another step forward would follow the offseason.

Unfortunately this year Festa scuffled during his second exposure to the big leagues. He finishes with a 5.40 ERA (4.87 FIP) across 53 1/3 innings. His strikeout rate has dipped, the walk rate remained the same, and he allowed a few more home runs.

As a whole, this year has to be seen as a step backwards for the former top prospect. Festa represented Minnesota at the 2023 Futures Game, and he has been expected to be a piece of the rotation moving forward. The results haven’t suggested that’s a likelihood right now though, and injury complicated that more.

A former 13th round pick out of Seton Hall, Festa is a development success story for Minnesota. The problem is that the completion of the development has not yet taken hold. The more shoulder issues he has to overcome, the less likely the arm talent will ever be able to fully take hold.

No with his season coming to an end, the offseason again becomes an important one for Festa. He’ll need to go through a throwing program and build back up to a place where he can contribute next season. The missteps from a production standpoint become more cumbersome as the team needs to outline their future plans.

Related: Twins Ace Nearing Return; Veteran Catcher Trying

Minnesota plays host to the Chicago White Sox before heading out to fact the Kansas City Royals. They have just 25 games left this season. The team results don’t matter, but individual achievements do. Hopefully Rocco Baldelli can find comfort in another arm or two to use if he’s still around a next spring.