Twins Preparing to Lose Two Key Pitchers for Rest of 2026 Season

It’s not final yet, but the Minnesota Twins will likely have to move forward with two pitchers they were counting on this season.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Mick Abel. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Whether or not the Minnesota Twins will buy or sell at the trade deadline remains to be seen. But pitching would appear to be a necessity.

After Sunday’s game with the Chicago Cubs, multiple outlets — including the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (subscription required) — reported that pitchers Mick Abel and David Festa were likely out for the remainder of the season.

This is based primarily on the timeline both would need to return to the mound, assuming the Twins — who lost to the Cubs on Sunday — don’t get into the playoffs.

Mick Abel and David Festa Timeline

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher David Festa. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Abel was part of the return the Twins received when they traded closer Jhoan Duran to the Philadelphia Phillies lats season. Abel had already made his MLB debut and was a part-time member of the Phillies’ rotation as the deal went down. The idea was that Abel would be a full-time part of the Twins’ rotation starting this season and he beat out Zebby Matthews to win the final rotation spot out of spring training.

But Abel barely made it out of March. He pitched in four games, with three starts, before right elbow inflammation landed him on the 15-day injured list on April 20. The expectation is that he would be back in a few weeks and even made rehab starts with Triple-A St. Paul. But a setback derailed his progress, and he required arthroscopic surgery on the elbow, which forced Minnesota to move him to the 60-day IL on July 10.

The problem isn’t that Abel isn’t progressing. It’s the timeline. General manager Jeremy Zoll told the Pioneer-Press and other outlets that Abel will get a check-up eight weeks post-surgery, which is right around the start of September. If he’s ready, he could start a build-up and simply run out of runway because he would require at least a month. And that’s IF he’s ready.

Meanwhile, Festa has not pitched. Officially he has a right shoulder impingement. Per the Pioneer-Press, he had a stem cell injection in his shoulder, but his rehab was stuck at throwing bullpens. Last season he suffered from thoracic outlet syndrome and underwent Botox injections to help recovery. It’s a similar sort of injury Philadelphia pitcher Zack Wheeler had late last year. He returned to the field earlier this season.

Like Abel, Festa may not have enough runway to return to the rotation this season. He would need a spring training-type of build-up after not making it to the regular season.

The Twins remain on the road and begin a four-game series with Cleveland on Monday. Minnesota returns home on Friday to host the Athletics.