Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta out of today’s game against the Rockies in the fourth place today, and later the Padres announced that his departure was due “right elbow stiffness.” More details about the situation are unknown at this time, but AJ Cassavell of MLB.com notes that Pivetta’s velocity was off in his last pitch and he appeared frustrated as he exited the game with the manager. Craig Stammen and the team coach. After the game, Annie Heilbrunn of the San Diego Union-Tribune relayed Stammen’s comments that Pivetta could be photographed tomorrow depending on how he feels in the morning, but offered hope as he suggested that. “there is a world” where Pivetta made his next start.
Cassavell notes that Pivetta previously missed a start during spring training last month due to what the Padres described at the time as “arm fatigue.” He ended up missing that one start, and it’s unclear if the illness is related to the current issue. Stammen’s update after the game seemed optimistic, but any time Pivetta missed would be a real blow to San Diego. Pivetta was the team’s top starter last year, pitching to a 2.87 ERA in 181 2/3 innings of work across 31 starts. That kind of production isn’t easy to replace, but it’s very difficult in San Diego given that Dylan Cease he left Toronto in free agency when Joe Musgrove he is not ready to return from his October 2024 Tommy John surgery.
If Pivetta ends up missing time with his ailing elbow, it appears the Padres will turn to Matt Waldron or Griffin Canning to fill the void. Both are currently on the injured list but have already started rehabbing and looking great as they do so. Waldron looks to be the better of the two in terms of expanding his stat line and could be the first choice to join the rotation if Pivetta is shelved. Canning is under a guaranteed MLB contract and will not be optioned to the minors, but Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune suggests he may not be ready to return to action until next month. If a fifth start is needed before Waldron or Canning is ready, JP Sears also available at Triple-A and non-roster veterans like Marco Gonzales again Triston McKenzie.
That’s a decent amount of depth and will be very needed if Pivetta misses significant time. The rest of the rotation has had promising moments but comes with question marks. Michael King he’s gotten solid results but doesn’t look as sharp as he did before his shoulder injury last season. Randy Vasquez doesn’t look too good despite being a back-of-the-rotation arm in the past, too Walker Buehler offers other incentives, however Marquez from Germany has looked pretty consistent so far this year with a 5.54 ERA and 7.50 FIP. The right-hander could be pushed into the Padres’ rotation with Waldron’s return, though that won’t happen if Pivetta misses time and Waldron instead fills in as the staff’s ace.
