David Festa DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Minnesota Twins right-hander David Festa has been recalled from Triple-A St. Paul to make the start in Thursday's series finale in Sacramento against the Athletics, according to The Athletic's Dan Hayes. And with right-hander Pablo Lopez (shoulder) expected to miss eight to 12 weeks, Festa will now have the opportunity to stick in the big-league starting rotation for a while if he pitches well. Fantasy managers searching for rotation help in deeper leagues should run to the waiver wire and add the 25-year-old, who had 15 strikeouts and a 1.38 ERA in 13 innings over his first three starts for the Twins in 2025. He was sent down to the minors to try and get more comfortable adding a sinker to his arsenal. Since returning from biceps/shoulder inflammation on May 23, Festa had 12 K's and allowed an earned run in 8 2/3 innings.

The Minnesota Twins have optioned right-handed pitcher David Festa to Triple-A St. Paul. Festa was promoted to the majors to fill Pablo Lopez's rotation spot. However, with Lopez set to return to action this weekend, Festa will return to the top level of the minor leagues. Through three starts this season (13 innings), Festa held a 1.38 ERA with a 1.31 WHIP. During this minor stint, Festa struck out 15 batters and served up five walks. Last summer, the Seton Hall product made his MLB debut and posted a modest 4.90 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP across 64 1/3 innings of work. Fantasy managers should expect Festa to return to the big leagues when Minnesota needs additional depth in its rotation. However, given his modest showing, he is only worth holding onto in deeper AL-only redraft formats.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher David Festa is expected to make another start on Wednesday against the New York Mets. With Pablo Lopez (hamstring) hitting the 15-day injured list, the Twins promoted Festa from Triple-A St. Paul to fill his spot in the rotation. Festa performed well in his season debut on Friday against the Detroit Tigers as he tossed four 2/3 innings of one-run ball (unearned run). He allowed three hits and held a 1:4 BB:K. Earlier in the season at Triple-A, Festa logged eight 1/3 innings and posted a modest 5.40 ERA with a 1.85 WHIP. Last season, Festa made his MLB debut and flashed decent upside at times as he posted a 4.90 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP across 64 1/3 innings. He struck out 77 batters and allowed 23 free passes. If Festa were to struggle during his stint in the majors, fellow young right-hander Zebby Matthews could be in the mix to join the Minnesota rotation. For now, Festa is worth adding in all 12+ team formats given his strikeout upside.