Pivetta discusses early rehab exit: 'Just didn't feel right'

SAN DIEGO -- Nick Pivetta's status remains uncertain, days after he walked off the mound during a rehab start with Single-A Lake Elsinore.

On Friday, as the Padres returned home to start a six-game homestand at Petco Park, Pivetta addressed the situation for the first time. The veteran right-hander, who has been sidelined since mid-April with a flexor strain in his right elbow, has continued playing catch but does not have a timeline for his next rehab outing or his next bullpen.

Pivetta threw 14 pitches at Lake Elsinore on Tuesday, then walked off the mound in the middle of an at-bat. On Friday, he addressed the specifics of the issue that forced him from the mound.

“It just didn't feel right,” Pivetta said of his elbow. “I didn't really want to push it. It felt like if I came off [the mound] that I could kind of regroup, see how I feel the next day, move forward. Woke up the next morning feeling generally good. The last couple days have been good, throwing, playing catch.”

Pivetta played catch up to 150 feet on Friday, but was reluctant to put any timeline on his continued progression.

“It's just day to day,” Pivetta said. “I played catch today, which felt good. I'll play catch tomorrow, and it'll feel good. We'll just go from there and go with how I feel each day. I'm not going to put a timetable on anything. I'm not going to say I'm going to throw a bullpen on X, Y or Z. I'm just going to play catch again tomorrow and move forward.”

Pivetta declined to answer questions about a deadline of sorts that looms on Aug. 22. He signed a four-year deal with the Padres in Feb. 2025, which contained opt-outs after this season and next season. But if Pivetta were to spend 130 consecutive days on the IL with a specified injury like this one, the player options would essentially convert to a club option.

Presumably, this setback would make it tougher for Pivetta to reach that return date. Though he did throw 20-30 additional pitches off the mound in the batting cage at Lake Elsinore after his exit.

Of course, those additional pitches raise some questions. Especially now that the Padres have slowed his progression and he won’t make his next rehab start as scheduled. On Friday, Pivetta offered further insight into the situation.

He said after sitting and taking stock of his elbow, he felt OK enough to re-take the mound. He threw about 15-20 fastballs, then a couple breaking pitches and said he felt completely fine on all of them.

So what led to his decision to throw more?

“Hard to explain,” Pivetta said. “It's just something that occurred in the moment. I just felt like I wanted to do it. Then I just went and did it.”

Pivetta posted a 2.87 ERA last season and finished sixth in NL Cy Young voting. His return would be a major boost for the Padres’ rotation, even with the recent additions of Casey Mize and Robbie Ray at the Trade Deadline.

That said, those deals help to protect against an extended absence for Pivetta. Plus, Joe Musgrove is scheduled for his second rehab outing on Sunday. Musgrove, who is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, was on the same trajectory as Pivetta. Both made their first rehab appearances on Tuesday.

Musgrove’s outing was much smoother. He threw 39 pitches across 2 2/3 innings. There’s no timetable for his return yet, but late August or early September is a distinct possibility.

With Pivetta, things are murkier.

“I'm just kind of living it day by day, seeing how things go,” he said.

He added: “I would say I feel generally very good today.”

The Padres have raised the possibility that whatever sensation Pivetta felt may have been part of his natural progression back from an injury. They still felt it prudent to take a step back.

“Any time someone comes off the mound in the middle of an inning when they’re rehabbing an elbow injury, you’ve got to pause for just a little bit,” manager Craig Stammen said. “It would be, in my opinion, a little reckless to go, ‘Hey, throw your bullpen two days later, make your start on four days’ rest, you’ll be fine.’

“I think if we’re really taking really good care of him, we’re being a little bit more diligent this week. Then maybe he recovers well, and it wasn’t an issue.”

That’s the ideal situation for all parties.

“I want to play baseball,” Pivetta said. “That's my No. 1 priority. I just want to play baseball.”