MINNEAPOLIS – David Festa has been shut down and is unlikely to pitch again in 2025.
The Twins revealed prior to Tuesday's 12-3 loss to the White Sox that Festa, who has not pitched since July 21 due to right shoulder inflammation, has suffered a recurrence of the symptoms. He experienced discomfort over the weekend on his bullpen day, following his rehabilitation start with Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday.
Festa will visit Dr. Keith Meister next week for further evaluation and it is not expected that he will see a Major League mound again before the 2025 season ends. He made 11 appearances (10 starts) for the Twins this season, going 3-4 with a 5.40 ERA, 53 strikeouts and 19 walks in 53 1/3 innings.
The second-year right-hander first began feeling discomfort early in the season, when he was pitching for St. Paul. He felt it more strongly after a start against the Dodgers in July, and was placed on the injured list two days later.
At the time he was placed on the injured list, Festa said that no significant structural damage was found in his MRI exam. But he was still feeling discomfort, even after taking time off at the All-Star break, so the decision was made to shut him down.
Festa received two anti-inflammatory injections, one each in the front and back of the shoulder, and sat for about five weeks before beginning a rehabilitation assignment. But he lasted only one start back on the mound before suffering the recurrence.
It’s a significant and disappointing setback for Festa, who has shown great promise since his debut in 2024.
Woods Richardson dodges danger
Simeon Woods Richardson committed a throwing error in Tuesday night’s game, but it was hard to blame him for being a little distracted. He had just dodged a big hunk of wood that was flying at him. Or at least, mostly dodged.
After Brooks Baldwin led off the fifth inning with a walk, Will Robertson hit a chopper back at Woods Richardson. The problem was, the ball wasn’t the only thing coming back toward the mound – so was a large shard of Robertson’s broken bat. It actually grazed the left side of his neck. Though he didn’t realize it until later, Woods Richardson had a mark on his neck where the shard scraped him.
He fielded the ball cleanly but overthrew second base on the force attempt, leading to runners on the corners. Bryan Rojas' double turned a two-run Twins lead into a tie game, though Woods Richardson escaped the inning without further damage.
“I was focused on the ball more than anything,” he said. “I was actually trying to focus on both at the same time, but [I've] still got to execute a throw. We get those two outs, we’re out of the inning.”
The right-hander tossed five innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits. He struck out seven (equaling a season high) and walked three.
Larnach rolling in DH spot
Tuesday marked Trevor Larnach’s fourth straight multihit game, as he went 2-for-4 with a double. Larnach is 9-for-15 in that span. He has a .280/.371/.411 line since the All-Star break, and has been even hotter than that lately.
Larnach, who played almost exclusively outfield in his first two Major League seasons, has done it while primarily serving as the designated hitter recently. He had about a 50-50 split between outfield and designated hitter last year and for much of 2025, but since Aug. 15, he has made 13 straight starts at DH.
That’s a result of the Twins adding the speedy James Outman and Austin Martin to their outfield mix, but manager Rocco Baldelli also believes it’s beneficial for Larnach.
“I think Trevor has enjoyed being out there for a full season of baseball, healthy, body feeling good,” Baldelli said. “And I think he truly knows being in that DH spot is going to help him do that and be able to succeed in that way more and more. So he’s embraced it, I would say more than anything else.”
During that span of DH starts, Larnach is 17-for-51 (.333). But perhaps most notably, he has struck out just eight times in 57 plate appearances.