David Festa won his major league debut, but he didn’t have to time to truly celebrate

The problem with making your major league debut on getaway day, David Festa learned last Thursday, is that you only have a half-hour or so after the game ends to celebrate with all the well-wishers who flew to Phoenix to witness it.

“That was a chaotic day. Saw some family postgame, took some pictures, but then hopped on the flight to Seattle,” the 24-year-old righthander said about the Twins’ 13-6 victory over the Diamondbacks, in which he pitched five inning to get his first big league victory. “It was quick. I didn’t get to see them for long.”

That won’t be a problem on Wednesday, when Festa is scheduled to make his Target Field debut against the Tigers. Not only are the Twins staying home through Sunday, but Festa has a place to invite his parents, brother and any other stray New Jerseyans who travel to Minnesota.

The Twins’ affiliation with the St. Paul Saints “is just really nice for situations like this. I’m still living in the same apartment, so my life off the field hasn’t changed too much, other than I come to Minneapolis rather than St. Paul every day,” said Festa, who started 14 games for the Saints before being called up last week when Chris Paddack went on the injured list. “That’s a huge relief. Moving from somewhere else would be a pain. There’s a lot going on as it is.”

He means studying the Tigers’ lineup, meeting with pitching coach Pete Maki and getting advice from Saints pitching coach Pete Larson, and observing the other Twins’ starters’ routines.

“Obviously it’s a lot different up here, so I’m kind of learning those small things,” Festa said. “Talking to guys like that — they’re some of the best in the world at this, so why wouldn’t I use them to learn stuff I need to know?”

He threw a bullpen session on Sunday to stay sharp, and he’s tried to get caught up on answering texts and emails from friends back in Verona, N.J. But mostly, he’s spent the past few days getting used to the idea that he’s a major leaguer.

“I tried to soak it in. It can be overwhelming, so you gave to get used to it. I thought it was important on Friday and Saturday to try and slow it all down,” Festa said. “Now I’m back to where I’ve got my feet underneath me and I feel like I’m all ready to go.”

Festa learned Tuesday that he won’t be facing Tigers righthander Jack Flaherty in his home debut. Flaherty, who has 115 strikeouts and only 14 walks in 89 innings this season to go with a 3.24 ERA, remained in Southern California after last week’s series with the Angels in order to get treatment on his sore back.

The Tigers will skip Flaherty’s start and call up righthander Keider Montero to take his place. Montero, who turns 24 on Saturday, has appeared in two games during his rookie season, and has given up nine runs, including three homers, in 2.0 innings, a 9.35 ERA.

Righthander Casey Mize will go on the injured list to make room for Montero.

Saints second baseman Brooks Lee has been selected to the AL team at the All-Star Futures Game on July 13 in Arlington, Texas, MLB announced Tuesday.

Lee, 23, has only been playing for a month because of a herniated disc in his back, but he’s already piled up six home runs, five doubles and 18 RBI since being activated June 4. He will also take part in the MLB Futures Skills Showcase, a hitting competition, after the game.

“He really found himself quickly. It’s not that easy to just step in and produce immediately,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said of the Twins’ 2022 first-round pick. “He’ll enjoy it. All the guys have fun, they have a blast. You could call it a good ego boost.”

* Brooks Lee’s three-run homer fueled a five-run second inning as the St. Paul Saints defeated the Gwinnett Stripers 5-2 at CHS Field. Randy Dobnak (7-5) pitched five innings and allowed one earned run for the victory.