Last fall, things looked bleak for Minnesota Twins pitcher David Festa when it was revealed that he had been diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome . Shoulder issues can be substantially more difficult for pitchers to overcome than elbow injuries these days, but he made it through the offseason without undergoing surgery.
Rather than addressing the issue surgically, the Twins and Festa opted for Botox injections to alleviate the pressure causing his symptoms. The treatment ultimately didn't get him back on the mound, and he has been sidelined all season.
It was recently revealed that Festa would likely miss the rest of the season . Now that is a certainty, and he'll undergo two separate procedures in hopes of getting back on track.
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Derek Shelton has yet to see Festa pitch in a regular-season game. Placed on the injured list by the Minnesota Twins during spring training, the right-hander has not pitched at any level in 2026 . Now Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports that his season is officially over.
David Festa is having a double surgery tomorrow that will end his season.
One is arthroscopic surgery to address the right shoulder impingement. Second is "a pec release performed on his pec muscle to address the neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome symptoms." #MNTwins— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) July 29, 2026
Festa last appeared on a major league mound in July 2025. The arthroscopic procedure will address his right shoulder impingement, while the pectoral release is intended to alleviate his thoracic outlet syndrome symptoms. The condition is often treated surgically with a first-rib resection, but that procedure has not been mentioned in Festa's case.
Thoracic outlet syndrome has derailed the careers of several big-league pitchers, and successful returns have been far from guaranteed. Festa worked his way to the majors after being a 13th-round pick in 2021 and has shown upside. Last season, he posted a 5.40 ERA and 4.88 FIP across 53 1/3 innings. He now faces an uphill battle to reestablish himself as a major league option for the Minnesota Twins in 2027.
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