David

Festa

Festa is currently shelved with a right shoulder impingement. Nothing has changed in his prognosis; this was done primarily as a procedural move to clear a 40-man roster spot for the addition of Garrett Acton on Thursday. The Twins are still hopeful that Festa could be an option to return in late May.

Festa is close to getting back on the mound after a month off it. If he’s back pitching in minor league games by mid-to-late April, he could potentially be an option in the Twins rotation by the second half of May.

“Didn’t really say anything because sometimes when you’re building up, you don’t always feel great. But once my bullpen (this week) wasn’t as good as it probably should’ve been, I spoke up and got an image done. Everything lines up pretty well with what I’m feeling. So I plan to sit out throwing for two to three weeks and then if I feel good, get going again,” Festa told The Athletic’s Dan Hayes. The impingement is apparently not related to last year’s shoulder injury.

There was some concern a couple months ago that Festa could be dealing with thoracic outlet syndrome, but it sounds like he’ll been cleared to resume throwing again and have a relatively normal offseason. The 25-year-old righty hit the injured list with shoulder inflammation in late July and never made it back to Minnesota before the year wrapped up. It’s an extremely encouraging update considering how murky his status was at the conclusion of the regular season.

Festa was shut down after a setback during his rehab from shoulder inflammation, and Dr. Meister — one of the leading arm experts in the industry — believe that TOC is the cause. If that is the case, Festa could be looking at a long recovery, and his 2026 season is in jeopardy. The right-hander has been referred to another doctor, and more information on his status for the coming season should be available after that visit.

The big concern here is that Festa, who is scheduled to visit specialist Dr. Keith Meister in the coming days, could be in jeopardy of missing time next season if he winds up requiring a shoulder procedure, which typically results in an extended absence, even in a best-case scenario. There should be a clearer outlook on his future at some point in the next few days.

Festa, on the IL with shoulder inflammation, struck out five and walked three while throwing 48 pitches. He could join the Twins rotation after one more start.

The 25-year-old hurler has been sidelined since just after the All-Star break due to inflammation in his pitching shoulder. Given how long he has been shelved for, he’ll probably require at least two rehab outings before he’s an option to help out the Twins at the big league level.

Festa allowed three homers in his loss to the Dodgers on Monday, and it’s possible the shoulder issues played a factor. He’ll be out through the rest of July, and the Twins should provide a timeline for a potential return in the coming days, if not sooner.

Festa gave up three homers in the outing; the first being a two-run homer to Shohei Ohtani in the first inning. The other two roundtrippers were allowed to Will Smith, and those dingers accounted for all four runs allowed. He struck out five while issuing one walk in an outing that was better than the box score might suggest. Festa will take on the Nationals on Sunday.