June 27: The Twins have now formally announced the selection of Festas contract. Hell make his debut today in Arizona. Right-hander z was optioned to St. Paul in a corresponding move. June 26: The Twins are planning to select the contract of right-handed pitching prospect , reports . KSTPs Darren Wolfson first reported that Festa had been scratched as todays starter in St. Paul, likely setting the stage for a debut tomorrow. The 24-year-old Festa will indeed be called up ahead of Thursdays series finale against the Diamondbacks in Arizona. Minnesota has an open spot on the 40-man roster, although the team will still need to make a corresponding move to add him to the 26-man roster. He will take over for a in the Twins rotation. Most public outlets, including , , and , agree that Festa is one of the Twins top two pitching prospects, with both (No. 99) and (no. 93) including the young right-hander among their top 100 prospects. He represented the Twins in the 2023 Futures Game. The lanky 66 Festa was a 13th-round pick by Minnesota out of Seton Hall back in 2021. Hes added considerable velocity to a heater that now sits around 95 Hansel Robles Jersey mph and reaches the upper 90s since being drafted. He pairs that offering with a mid- to upper-80s slider that can get whiffs against righties and a changeup that helps him keep lefties at bay. Scouting reports from each of BA, FanGraphs and MLB.com credit each of those three pitches as above-average, with the heater drawing a plus (60) from the latter. Though Festa started the season with some uncharacteristic walk troubles he i sued a free pa s to 20% of his opponents over his first four Triple-A starts this season hes since reined in the walks and is credited with average or better command from scouts. In 59 2/3 innings this season, Festa is sitting on a solid 3.77 earned run average that aligns quite closely with his 3.92 FIP. Hes punched out an excellent 35.1% of his opponents, and though his 9.7% walk rate is higher than average, Festa has made significant strides in that regard since his rocky start to the season. Over his past 10 outings, hes only walked 6.7% of his opponents (while striking out an even loftier 37.3% of them). The Twins view Festa as a potential key piece of their rotation for years to come, and theyll get their first look at him tomorrow against the D-backs. While Paddacks absence creates a short-term opening in the rotation, theres not a clear vacancy once he returns from his bout of shoulder fatigue. Manager indicated that the Twins plan to keep Paddack in a starting role when hes reinstated, although given that this is Paddacks first full season back from a second career Tommy John surgery (and that hes already eclipsed his combined 2022-23 workload), an eventual move to a relief role later in the season seems plausible. At that point, Festa could step into a more permanent spot in the rotation, at least for the remainder of the current season. All five of the Twins current starters Paddack, , , and are signed/controlled through 2025 at the very least. Add in right-handers and (the Twins other top pitching prospect who ranks No. 99 at BA presently and boasts a combined 1.56 ERA and 76-to-3 K/BB ratio between High-A and Double-A this season), and the Twins have a budding and enviable stock of starting pitching depth on their hands. That falls under the good problem to have umbrella, of course, and positions the team to withstand injuries or trade from a position of strength at next months deadline or in the coming offseason. Paddack will be a free agent following the 2025 season, but aside from that, the Twins entire collection of big league or near-MLB-ready starters is signed/controllable through at least 2027. Turning back to Festa specifically, he wont receive a full year of big league service in 2024, meaning hell still be controllable for at least six more seasons all the way through 2030. Hes also being called up late enough in the year that even if he sticks on the roster, he wont pick up enough time to reach Super Two status. At the earliest, he should be arbitration-eligible following the 2027 season, although future optional a signments could push back his timeline to both arbitration and free agency. Austin Brice Jersey