Thursday was the first look at life without Pablo López for the Minnesota Twins, and the immediate return wasn't all that inspiring. David Festa, who presumably will be taking López's spot in the rotation for the next 8-12 weeks, struggled to the tune of giving up 8 runs on 6 hits (including 3 home runs) in less than 4 innings of work. Festa is expected to remain in the rotation despite his poor showing, but the Twins are making changes to the pitching staff ahead of Friday's return home against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Twins are calling up right-handed pitching prospect Travis Adams in a move that will be officially announced before Friday night's game.
Adams was drafted by the Twins in the sixth round of the 2021 MLB Draft. Entering the 2025 season, MLB Pipeline had Adams as the No. 21 prospect in the Twins' system. Before this season, Adams was working exclusively as a starting pitcher during his ascent through the Twins' system, but in Triple-A this year, he has served as a bulk reliever. In 13 appearances at Triple-A this season, Adams posted a 3.43 ERA in 42 innings of work.
Travis Adams gives the Twins' bullpen a fresh arm
When Adams makes his first appearance this weekend, it will serve as his Major League debut. With Festa expected to remain in the rotation, the expectation is that Adams will pitch out of the Twins' bullpen to open his Major League career. However, if Festa's struggles continue, there is a chance that Adams slides into the rotation.
Adams is already on the Twins' 40-man roster, but the team has yet to reveal what the corresponding move will be on the 26-man roster. It would be a safe bet to assume one of Jorge Alcala or Kody Funderburk to be the odd man out. Each reliever has an ERA over 7.00 this season, and, in Alcala's case, he was especially bad on Thursday. Alcala didn't even complete an inning of work before being tagged for 3 runs on 3 hits and 1 walk in the loss to the Athletics yesterday. With the Twins looking to stabilize their bullpen, Alcala's production simply isn't cutting it.