Matthew

Festa

Fry underwent surgery to repair a deviated septum and fractured nose and missed the postseason after being hit in the face by a fastball from Tarik Skubal. Jones will likely be a platoon outfielder for Cleveland in 2026, while Festa should again work in the middle innings.

Allen had a solid season, with a 4.25 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and a 122/62 K/BB ratio in 156 2/3 innings. However, with the Guardians not needing as many starting pitchers, they will carry guys like Matt Festa and Kolby Allard instead. Joey Cantillo should serve as the bulk reliever in this series.

Festa is up to provide some extra pitching depth for the Guardians before their series against the Blue Jays. To make room on the 40-man roster, Cleveland designated Vince Velasquez for assignment.

So far this season, Festa has thrown 14 2/3 scoreless innings in Triple-A for the Rangers, allowing 10 hits while striking out 20 and walking seven. He will report to Triple-A Columbus, but could be an option in the Cleveland bullpen soon.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News adds that Ahmed and Barnhart are still weighing the possibility of opting out of their minor league deals to hit free agency. There are no real surprises here among the latest batch of cuts, but Osuna stands out since he made a really strong impression this spring to put himself in position as an option for the Rangers outfield mix at some point later this year.

Festa returns to Texas just a few days after passing through waivers unclaimed and rejecting an outright minor-league assignment from Chicago. The 31-year-old right-hander made 18 relief appearances last year for the Rangers and figures to have a decent shot at making their season-opening roster in a low-leverage role.

Festa went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment last week by the Cubs. The 31-year-old righty has the option to elect free agency and might opt to test the open market rather than accept the outright assignment. He made 19 relief appearances last year between the Mets and Rangers.

The Cubs picked Festa up from the Rangers after Texas DFA’d him earlier this month. The 31-year-old had a 5.70 ERA in 23 2/3 innings for the Mets and Rangers last season.

Festa, 31, had been designated for assignment by the Rangers earlier in the week. He did a decent job out of the Rangers’ bullpen in 2024 — posting a 4.37 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and a 23/7 K/BB ratio over 22 2/3 innings. With a strong showing in the spring, he could crack the Cubs’ Opening Day bullpen.

Festa loses his spot on Texas’ 40-man roster to make room for veteran reliever Chris Martin. The 31-year-old righty made 18 relief appearances last year for the Rangers, posting a pedestrian 4.37 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 23/7 K/BB ratio across 22 2/3 innings of work.