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

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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