Minnesota Twins DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Minnesota Twins right-handed pitcher David Festa is expected to be promoted to the major leagues to start Friday's contest against the Detroit Tigers. Festa was expected to get the start that evening for Triple-A St. Paul, but is expected to return to the big leagues to fill the open spot in the rotation. Pablo Lopez (hamstring) was diagnosed with a Grade 1 hamstring strain on Wednesday and will likely land on the 15-day IL, which would open a spot on the roster for Festa. As a result, this will push Chris Paddack's and Simeon Woods Richardson's starts back to Saturday and Sunday. Festa saw time in the majors last season and held a 4.90 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP across 64 1/3 innings of work. Through his first eight 1/3 innings of Triple-A ball this season, he has struck out eight batters and allowed five runs. He is worth adding in all 15+ team formats.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton is out of the lineup for a second straight game on Thursday in the series finale against the division-rival Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Buxton struck out four times in Tuesday's game in KC and will start the game on the bench once again in favor of Harrison Bader, who is starting in center field and batting ninth against Royals right-hander Michael Wacha. Buxton has gone hitless in seven career at-bats against Wacha, while Bader has hit .364 against the veteran hurler with a .728 OPS in 11 career at-bats. In his first 11 games of 2025, Buxton has been cold offensively, hitting .171 (7-for-41) with a homer, two doubles, four RBI, two stolen bases, one walk and 16 strikeouts in 43 plate appearances. As far as we know, the oft-injured Buxton is healthy. If he's not back in the lineup on Friday against the Tigers, though, something might be up.UPDATE: Buxton has returned home for a personal matter.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez's MRI confirmed that he is dealing with a Grade 1 hamstring strain and is expected to be placed on the 15-day IL, according to manager Rocco Baldelli. Lopez was pulled from his last start early after he felt tightness in his right hamstring. The 29-year-old was in the midst of a strong start to the season, allowing three earned runs in 16 2/3 IP (1.62 ERA), with a 1.02 WHIP, and a 2:14 BB:K. While it's a blow to the Twins' rotation, at least it isn't a more serious injury, and thankfully, the Twins have a couple of good pitchers waiting in the minors to be called up if needed. Both David Festa and Zebby Matthews pitched last season for Minnesota and could be called upon again. Festa finished 2024 strong for the Twins but has started slow at Triple-A this season, however, Matthews' most recent start saw him strike out nine batters in just four innings of work, so perhaps he is the one who will get the first crack. If either one is called up, both are worthy roster additions in deep leagues for their strong strikeout stuff and solid command.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan picked up the win on Wednesday, striking out four over seven scoreless innings in a 4-0 shutout against the Royals. This was his first win and quality start of the season, and he has now gone all 17 innings in 2025 without issuing a single walk. This is nothing new for the right-hander, who had an elite walk rate of 4.3% in 2024 that led to a WHIP of just 0.99. He'll look to keep things rolling in his next start, currently in line to be against the Mets.

An MRI exam confirmed that Minnesota Twins right-hander Pablo Lopez (hamstring) is dealing with a mild hamstring strain, according to the team. Although nothing is official, The Athletic's Dan Hayes' best guess is that Lopez won't be ready to make his next start due to the Twins often erring on the side of caution with injuries. The 29-year-old was pulled from his start early on Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals with right-hamstring tightness and had an MRI exam on Wednesday. While it's good news the injury is a mild one, fantasy managers should prepare for the possibility of Lopez missing at least his next start, which is scheduled to come this weekend against the division-rival Detroit Tigers. The Venezuelan hurler has been great in his first three starts of 2025, allowing only three runs (two earned) on 15 hits while walking two and striking out 14 in 16 2/3 frames. Check back for another update in a day or two.