Twins officially call up David Festa, option Ronny Henriquez

Festa will make his major league debut on Thursday against the Diamondbacks.

American League Futures pitcher David Festa (48) of the Minnesota Twins pitches to the National League during the fifth inning of the All Star-Futures game at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on July 8, 2023. / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

The Twins officially called up right-handed starter David Festa from Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday to start their afternoon matinee against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix.

As a corresponding move, the Twins optioned reliever Ronny Henriquez, who was called up on Tuesday after starter Chris Paddack landed on the 15-day injured list.

Festa, 24, is the Twins' top pitching prospect and was expected to be called up when Paddack landed on the IL with right arm fatigue. Paddack was scheduled to start Thursday's game, but with him on the IL, it was clear that Festa would be making his debut in the big leagues sooner rather than later.

Festa is the fifth-ranked prospect in the Twins' system overall, and has had a strong season with the Triple-A Saints, posting a 3-2 record and a 3.77 earned-run average across 59 2/3 innings.

The Twins and Diamondbacks meet for the finale of their three-game series at 2:40 p.m. Thursday.