Out
Injury Shoulder
Est. Return 2/1/2026
2025 Stats
W-L
3-4
ERA
5.40
WHIP
1.28
K
53
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2025 Fantasy Outlook
Festa showed promise in his first season in the majors and enters 2025 ready to secure a spot in the big league rotation. Nicknamed "The Slim Reaper," the 6-6 top pitching prospect excelled at Triple-A to begin last season with a 13.1 K.9 and 3.3 BB/9 while posting a less than impressive 4.06 ERA (3.68 FIP, however). Festa held his own in the rotation when called up in June with a 10.8 K/9 and 12.7% swing strike rate but a 4.40 ERA (though a 3.75 FIP). Festa has improved his velocity from the low-90s mph early in his pro career to reaching the high 90s mph and averaging a 94.5 mph fastball in the majors last season. His slider has become a plus pitch as it held batters to a .249 wOBA last season. Festa struggled in a few areas as he didn't pitch far into games averaging just 4.6 IP per start, gave up a few too many homers (1.26 HR/9) and had a 6.03 ERA on the road with seven homers allowed in six starts. Both his fastball and change-up, which were plus pitches in the minors, graded below average in the majors. Still, there's reason to think he'll improve as he had low home-run and walk rates in the minors and should get more efficient to extend his outings. Read Past Outlooks
Signed a one-year contract with the Twins in March of 2025.
Avoids surgery for shoulder injury
Festa was set to receive Botox injections Thursday to alleviate a compressed nerve between his right shoulder and neck, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Analysis
He avoided surgery for a mild version of thoracic outlet syndrome after visiting a specialist and could have a normal offseason if all goes well. Festa posted a 5.40 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 53:19 K:BB over 53.1 innings for the Twins this season. If healthy, he'll likely be in the mix for a spot in the rotation next spring.
He avoided surgery for a mild version of thoracic outlet syndrome after visiting a specialist and could have a normal offseason if all goes well. Festa posted a 5.40 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 53:19 K:BB over 53.1 innings for the Twins this season. If healthy, he'll likely be in the mix for a spot in the rotation next spring.
Pitching Stats
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2025 MLB Game Log
2025
2024
Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
80
Last 10 Games
82
Last 5 Games
82
How many pitches does David Festa generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does David Festa generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2023
-13%
BAA vs LHP
2025
-17%
BAA vs LHP
| BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2023vs Left | .226 | 65 | 23 | 50 | 7 | |||
| Since 2023vs Right | .261 | 65 | 19 | 61 | 12 | |||
| 2025vs Left | .218 | 27 | 10 | 22 | 3 | |||
| 2025vs Right | .262 | 26 | 9 | 27 | 7 | |||
| 2024vs Left | .233 | 38 | 13 | 28 | 4 | |||
| 2024vs Right | .260 | 39 | 10 | 34 | 5 | |||
| 2023vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2023vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | |||||||
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2023
-6%
ERA on Road
2025
-35%
ERA at Home
| ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2023Home | 5.26 | 1.45 | 63.1 | 9.4 | 3.8 | ||||
| Since 2023Away | 4.97 | 1.12 | 54.1 | 10.6 | 2.5 | ||||
| 2025Home | 4.34 | 1.45 | 29.0 | 7.8 | 3.7 | ||||
| 2025Away | 6.66 | 1.07 | 24.1 | 10.4 | 2.6 | ||||
| 2024Home | 6.03 | 1.46 | 34.1 | 10.7 | 3.9 | ||||
| 2024Away | 3.60 | 1.17 | 30.0 | 10.8 | 2.4 | ||||
| 2023Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2023Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | ||||||||
Stat Review
How does David Festa compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
2.79K/9
8.9BB/9
3.2HR/9
1.7Fastball
94.1 mphERA
5.40WHIP
1.28BABIP
.286GB/FB
0.82Left On Base
61.1%Exit Velocity
83.6 mphBarrels/BBE
6.7%Spin Rate
2317 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
25.1%Swinging Strike
13.0%Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
Armed with a 93-96 mph fastball, an above-average changeup and an above-average slider, Festa has the stuff to pitch in Minnesota's rotation long term. He threw a career-high 103.2 innings in 2022 and was limited to 92.1 innings in 2023, not due to any major injury, but just due to the fact he averaged less than four innings in his 24 appearances. Festa walked nine in 12.1 innings in his three starts at Triple-A with automated balls and strikes, but he displayed starter-caliber command with human umpires prior to reaching Triple-A. A .349 BABIP and 66.1 LOB% at Double-A resulted in a bloated 4.39 ERA and 1.36 WHIP, which contributed to his shorter outings, but his 20.8 K-BB% was excellent and he deserved better ratios. The lanky 6-foot-6 righty could be the first man up whenever the Twins look to Triple-A to plug a rotation hole, assuming Louie Varland breaks camp in the big leagues.
More Fantasy News
Could have thoracic outlet syndrome
Festa was diagnosed with neurological thoracic outlet syndrome during a visit with Dr. Keith Meister in Texas this week, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Analysis
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Likely done for season
Festa experienced a recurrence of shoulder problems during his rehab start Thursday with Triple-A St. Paul and is expected to be shut down for the remainder of the season, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Analysis
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Cleared for rehab assignment
Festa (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Analysis
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Set to throw batting practice
Festa (shoulder) will throw a live batting practice session Saturday, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Analysis
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Gets injections for shoulder
Festa has reported improvement since landing on the injured list Wednesday after he received two anti-inflammatory injections for his right shoulder, MLB.com reports.
Analysis
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Could debut soon with Paddack on IL
Dan Hayes of The Athletic labeled Festa as a "potential difference maker" for the Twins, and the right-hander could soon be called up for his MLB debut after Chris Paddack was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with right arm fatigue.
Analysis
Festa is the organization's top pitching prospect and has a 3.82 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 91:26 K:BB across 63.2 innings for Triple-A St. Paul this season. One thing working against the 24-year-old is that he's not yet on Minnesota's 40-man roster, and it's unclear if the organization is ready to make that transaction. Depending how long Paddack is sidelined, the Twins may be more likely to turn to Caleb Boushley or Louie Varland, both of whom already possess 40-man roster spots.
Festa is the organization's top pitching prospect and has a 3.82 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 91:26 K:BB across 63.2 innings for Triple-A St. Paul this season. One thing working against the 24-year-old is that he's not yet on Minnesota's 40-man roster, and it's unclear if the organization is ready to make that transaction. Depending how long Paddack is sidelined, the Twins may be more likely to turn to Caleb Boushley or Louie Varland, both of whom already possess 40-man roster spots.