Can David Festa Still Carve Out a Role With the Twins?

[Sam Caulder]

Image courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

David Festa’s rise to the major leagues is a pretty cool story. After being drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 13th round out of Seton Hall University back in 2021, Festa quickly established himself as one of the higher-upside pitching prospects in the organization. He dominated the minor leagues over the next two seasons, eventually earning a promotion to Triple-A St. Paul in 2024. And he certainly didn’t slow down once he got there.

Festa struck out 89 batters in just 60 1/3 innings with the Saints in 2024, which helped earn him his major league debut later that year. He didn’t exactly burst onto the scene as an ace, posting a 5.12 ERA across 117 2/3 innings between the 2024 and 2025 seasons, while bouncing between the majors and Triple-A. But there were plenty of reasons to believe there was something there. Over those 117 2/3 innings, he logged 130 punchouts and struck out more than three batters for every walk he allowed. There were some issues with hard contact, but the swing-and-miss stuff was legitimate, and it seemed reasonable to believe that some of those other issues could be ironed out with more experience and development. Unfortunately, Festa hasn’t really had the opportunity to go through that development.

Back in late July of 2025, Festa landed on the injured list with shoulder inflammation. He returned in late August and made one appearance with the Saints before being shut down after experiencing discomfort during a bullpen session following that outing. It turned out to be a little more serious than just discomfort. He was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, or TOS, which occurs when there is pressure placed on the nerves or blood vessels between the lower neck and shoulder. It sounds pretty awful, and unfortunately for Festa, it's turned into a much longer-term issue. He missed all of the 2026 season due to recurring shoulder problems, meaning it's now been about 13 months since we last saw him appear in a game.

That obviously brings up a question: Does Festa still have a future with the Twins if/when he's finally able to get healthy?

Maybe I’m just thinking positively here, but I’m going to say yes. Obviously, the biggest thing is going to be getting Festa back to full health. There’s no point in trying to project what his role could look like in 2027 if he isn’t able to consistently take the mound, and the recurring shoulder problems make that a legitimate question right now. But TOS, as frustrating as it has been for Festa, isn’t necessarily a career-ending diagnosis.

Phillies starter Zack Wheeler was diagnosed with venous TOS in August of 2025 and returned early in the 2026 season. Festa’s case was neurogenic TOS, so the two situations aren’t exactly the same, but Wheeler’s return is still a good reminder that a TOS diagnosis doesn't automatically mean a pitcher’s career is over. Even if Festa’s fastball velocity takes a slight hit when he eventually returns, there’s still plenty to like about his arsenal. Wheeler’s fastball was down roughly a mile per hour in 2026 compared to 2025, and while it remains to be seen whether Festa experiences something similar, his fastball doesn’t necessarily need to be in the mid-90s to be effective. His four-seam fastball gets some pretty good run, and at 6-foot-6, he gets plenty of extension toward the plate. That extension can help a low-90s fastball play up a little bit more than the radar gun might suggest. Then there’s the fact that Festa has already shown an ability to miss bats at the major league level. His changeup and slider have both generated plenty of swing-and-miss, giving him a legitimate pair of secondary pitches to work with. If those pitches are still there when he returns, there’s a foundation for Festa to build on.

The biggest thing for him would probably be command. His walk rate was just below league average during his time in the majors, so the issue wasn’t necessarily that he was constantly putting free runners on base. The bigger problem was his command within the strike zone. Too often, Festa would leave pitches over the heart of the plate, and major league hitters made him pay for it. He allowed 1.5 home runs per nine innings during his first two seasons, which is just below Zebby Matthews’ 1.7 home runs per nine. And with all due respect to Matthews, that's not exactly the company you want to be in when it comes to giving up home runs.

If Festa can keep the fastball up in the zone while keeping his changeup and slider down, I firmly believe there's still a path for him to be a solid back-end starter. The more likely outcome, given the recurring shoulder problems and the uncertainty surrounding his ability to handle a starter’s workload, may ultimately be a move to the bullpen. And that could make plenty of sense. A healthy Festa with a lively fastball, a pair of quality secondary pitches, and the ability to attack hitters for an inning or two could be a pretty interesting bullpen piece for the Twins.

But that’s all a discussion for later. For now, the Twins and Festa have to worry about one thing above everything else: getting him back on the mound. It's been a long road since we last saw him pitch, but the talent that made him a promising prospect in the first place hasn’t simply disappeared. If he can finally put the shoulder problems behind him, there’s still a path for the former 13th-round pick to have a meaningful role with the Twins.

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[MeleMouth]

Right now, his most likely role in 2027 will be being Matt Canterino's roommate.

[HerbieFan]

Bull.....pen.

[Cris E]

Well, health or no, he was already down in AAA working on control and this is not going to help. It just delays the next time he'll step on a mound to continue piecing things together.  He's got great tools and an opportunity, so the best you can say is good luck. 

 

[PuckettPond]

Twins need another good arm in or out of the bull pen. Looking forward to watching him this spring training.

[AceWrigley]

Any pitcher that can get major league hitters out will have a place somewhere.

[MapleGroveTwinsFan]

Plus he has two options to get healthy and better, might be a good idea to start him in AAA as a starter and see how that goes, of course if he is healthy and lights out in spring training there is a spot in the bullpen for a guy like that.

[mikelink45]

Ever since his injury the articles write about him as if we lost a key piece of the rotation.  He has not excelled. He is still just a prospect.  Like all prospects I hope he blows us away with his quality, but until then he is Canterino, Abel, and all the other young pitchers with arm problems.  Wait and see. 

[DataNerd]

I had him moving to the pen this year, and if (big one here) he gets healthy I still think he could become the top guy in the pen.  First time through the order as a SP he has a 2.45 ERA/3.06 FIP (55IP).  He has done a much better job of not walking guys in that span; 5.8% first time, 10.8% second time.

[Cory Engelhardt]

“Health permitting” along with having major league options answers the question to your article. 

[Eris]

There are a fair number of MLB pitchers who never return to their pre TOS levels. Examples are Matt Harvey, Phil Hughes, Stephan Strasberg, Chris Archer. I think at this point, Festa will be fortunate if he has an MLB career as a relief pitcher. 

[gman]

i think we should expect him to pitch out of the bullpen in 2027. Not that I wouldn't want him to in the rotation, but the bullpen seems more doable. When he recovers and shows enough to challenge for a starting role, let the competition show who's better. 

[arby58]

I’d bet more pitchers successfully return from TJS than TOS.

[Coach]

I like his mental make-up. He is a pitcher. He'll break through.  He may have to reinvent himself.  He has lots of upside.  He'll be hungry because of all the downside.

[Andy MacPhail]

I felt they should have seriously dealt with his shoulder problem in '25 when it 1st popped up. I shook my head when Paddock said he was ok (no surgery, just treatment) when his arm was ready to fall off. '25 Festa said his arm was ok (Surgery not needed). '26 was not ok, did not pitch any meaningful games. I respect Paparesta's opinion but now still no seriously addressing the problem, I feel it's kicking the can down the road & missing a lot more games.

When Festa does come back, he'll need to go to the pen until he can prove he can handle the workload as a SP.