SAN DIEGO -- Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta will be out for “weeks and maybe months,” manager Craig Stammen said Wednesday, after an MRI revealed a flexor strain in his right elbow.
The Padres’ plan is for Pivetta to rehab the injury and avoid surgery, with both Stammen and Pivetta expressing confidence that he’ll pitch again this season. But Pivetta’s looming absence is a blow to San Diego’s already-thin starting rotation.
“It’s really frustrating,” Pivetta said ahead of the Padres’ game against Seattle. “I was feeling really well, felt like I was pitching better. I love contributing to the team, take great pride in playing baseball for the fans, playing for my teammates.”
Pivetta exited his start on Sunday with discomfort in his right elbow, then underwent an MRI, which revealed the flexor strain. Two years ago, while he was with the Red Sox, Pivetta sustained the same injury in April and missed a little over a month. It seems likely his absence could stretch beyond that this time around.
“He’s definitely going to take some time off throwing, let it rest, let it heal and then get back on a throwing program and a strengthening program,” Stammen said. “It’s probably going to be more weeks and maybe months than it is just specific days.
“So he’s going to take some time, but we feel pretty confident he’s going to get back this year.”
That last part is reason for optimism. The Padres can ill afford to be without Pivetta. But based on the results of the MRI, they’re at least optimistic he can rehab the injury, avoid surgery and contribute later in the year.
“For me, it’s just focusing on rehab,” Pivetta said.
Right-hander Matt Waldron is slated to be activated to take Pivetta’s spot in the rotation, either Friday or Saturday in Anaheim. Waldron, who underwent a medical procedure in February that delayed his start to the season, looked sharp at Triple-A El Paso, where he made three scoreless rehab starts.
But the loss of Pivetta remains a significant one. Pivetta was the Padres’ best starter last season and their Opening Day starter this year. He posted a 2.87 ERA in 2025 and finished sixth in NL Cy Young voting.
San Diego is already without Yu Darvish this season after the veteran underwent elbow surgery last October and was placed on the restricted list at the start of the season, stepping away from the team while he rehabs the injury.
In the meantime, Joe Musgrove has been slow to recover from a spring setback as he works his way back from October 2024 Tommy John surgery. Musgrove hasn’t thrown off a mound since making his lone spring appearance in early March.
Michael King and Randy Vásquez have been solid at the front of the San Diego rotation. But the absences of Musgrove and Pivetta leave the Padres with major question marks at the back end. Beyond Waldron, Walker Buehler and Germán Márquez have been up and down to start the year.
Then again, the Padres have Griffin Canning on the way back from a torn Achilles, potentially set to debut for the club in late April or early May. Stammen touted the options at Triple-A as well.
“We’ve got five good guys that are going to be in the rotation right now,” Stammen said. “So that’s one way to do it, if all those guys stay healthy and they keep pitching well.
“Then, we’ve also got Griff coming and Joe eventually hopefully coming and Nick hopefully eventually coming back, too. And then, you never know, there’s always some people in the Minor Leagues that sneak through, have a great season.”