Minnesota Twins DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

The Minnesota Twins have officially placed starting pitcher Pablo Lopez (hamstring) on the 15-day injured list with a Grade 1 hamstring strain. The team recalled right-handed pitched David Festa in a corresponding move. It was the expected route for the team after Lopez left his last start against the Kansas City Royals early after tweaking his hamstring in the fifth inning. It's unfortunate news for the 29-year-old, who had compiled a strong 1.62 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 16 2/3 innings. The move is retroactive to Wednesday, and the hope is that Lopez will only require a minimum stay on the injured list. So long as he does not suffer any setbacks, he should be pitching again in a few weeks.

The Minnesota Twins have promoted right-handed pitcher David Festa from Triple-A St. Paul to Minnesota on Friday. In a corresponding move, the Twins placed right-handed pitcher Pablo Lopez (hamstring) on the 15-day injured list. Festa made his MLB debut last summer and logged 64 1/3 innings. The 25-year-old held a modest 4.50 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP. However, he posted an impressive 27.8 percent strikeout rate while generating whiffs at a 28.4 percent rate. He also showed improvement in the second half as he held a 3.13 ERA with a 1.04 WHIP across 23 innings in August. Through his first eight 1/3 innings with St. Paul this season, Festa has allowed six hits and five earned runs. However, that should not deter fantasy managers in 12+ team formats from adding him off the waiver wire. He is slated to start Friday evening against the Detroit Tigers.

Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa went 0-for-4 on Thursday afternoon against the Royals and is hitting just .149 (7-for-47) in his first 13 games this season. He began the year with an 0-for-18 stretch and is just 5-for-26 (.192) over his last seven games. Correa does have four doubles, four walks, and five runs scored in his 13 games, and his 41.0% hard-hit rate is not a drastic drop from last year's mark. He had a slow spring training as well and hasn't been able to find his rhythm yet at the plate. After the loss on Thursday, the Twins have struggled to a 4-9 start to the season, and they'll come home this weekend to host their division-rival Tigers for a three-game set.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Bailey Ober was sharp on the mound during Thursday's outing against the Kansas City Royals. The right-hander went six innings, allowing five hits, one earned run, and striking out four batters in the no-decision. Ober was hit around in the first inning, but he settled down nicely after that. He has posted back-to-back outings with only one earned run, but his ERA is still 7.11 because he was crushed in his season opener. The veteran right-hander is scheduled to pitch against the New York Mets next week. That's not exactly a favorable matchup for Ober, but he appears to be getting back on track now.

Minneapolis Star Tribune's Bobby Nightengale says not to be surprised if the Minnesota Twins use a temporary six-man starting rotation between off days, which could open up a spot for pitching prospect Zebby Matthews. David Festa will be promoted from the minors to start on Friday in place of right-hander Pablo Lopez (hamstring), who is headed to the injured list. The 24-year-old Matthews could also be promoted from Triple-A St. Paul after the right-hander has gone 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA, 0.60 WHIP and 13:1 K:BB in 10 innings over his first two starts in 2025 in the minors. Matthews, a former eighth-rounder in 2022 out of Western Carolina University, was inconsistent in his first nine big-league starts in 2024, going 1-4 with a 6.69 ERA and 1.65 WHIP with 43 strikeouts and 11 walks in 37 2/3 innings. In DFS and deep leagues, he could be a sneaky streaming option, depending on the matchup.