Pivetta's player option for 2027 converted to team option by length of IL stay

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres have gained a team option on right-hander Nick Pivetta as of Saturday’s game against the Twins, which marks the 131st consecutive day Pivetta has spent on the injured list this season with a flexor strain in his right elbow.

Pivetta was owed $32 million across the next two seasons, part of a pair of player options. The Padres now hold a $14 million team option on Pivetta for the 2027 season instead. Pivetta could previously have opted out of his deal after this season and next.

That’s no longer the case, per a clause in Pivetta’s contract stipulating that if he spent more than 130 days on the IL with a specified injury -- and this one qualifies -- his player option would convert to a team option.

There is optimism, however, regarding Pivetta’s status. A couple weeks ago, Pivetta exited his first rehab outing after feeling discomfort in his elbow. That essentially ended any chance that Pivetta could have returned in time to keep his player option.

Pivetta played catch prior to Saturday’s matchup against the Twins as he attempts to work his way back before the end of the season.

“He's going to play catch today, and then his bullpen will be this week,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said Saturday. “We'll figure out how he feels after that, and then decide.”

Naturally, Pivetta’s rehab progression was paused as he was re-evaluated. But he’s felt OK since, and he’s begun ramping up recently. On Thursday, he threw two innings in a bridge league game at the Padres complex in Peoria, Ariz.

It went smoothly enough that both of Pivetta’s innings were extended. Facing a host of newly drafted or signed players, he recorded four outs in the first inning and five in the second. That could line Pivetta up for a formal rehab start in a few days, if all goes well.

It’s obviously been a rough year for Pivetta, who exited his April 12 start with an injury and hoped to be back well before Saturday’s deadline. But he can still make something of his season. The Padres remain squarely in the playoff picture, and Pivetta’s return could boost a rotation that’s already been reinforced by the Deadline additions of Casey Mize and Robbie Ray. Joe Musgrove is on his way back as well.

“Based on his last outing, I think he's going to get on a five-day schedule and try to ramp up to be a starting pitcher,” Stammen said. “We'll see. We'll watch him every step of the way and determine if he's ready to step into the rotation or if we want a different role for him.”

Last season, Pivetta posted a 2.87 ERA and finished sixth in NL Cy Young Award voting. The Padres’ rotation has made major strides lately, but there’s still room for that caliber of arm. Of course, that’s only if Pivetta can regain that form.

If he does, it might ultimately sway the Padres’ decision as well. Given the health concerns, it seems likely they’d decline what’s now a team option. But they won’t need to make that decision until the offseason.