A day after Padres add two starters, Nick Pivetta exits rehab outing with apparent injury

A day after the San Diego Padres acquired two starting pitchers at the trade deadline, Opening Day starter Nick Pivetta exited a rehab outing with an apparent injury.

Pitching Tuesday for Low-A Lake Elsinore, Pivetta recorded two outs on 14 pitches — the last a ball on a 2-2 count — before walking off the field and into the clubhouse. It was the right-hander’s first appearance in a game since he went on the injured list in April with what the Padres described as an elbow flexor strain.

Pivetta, while playing for the Boston Red Sox in 2024, missed a month because of the same injury, prompting the inclusion of a clause in his four-year, $55 million contract with San Diego. If Pivetta spends 130 consecutive days on the injured list this season, the Padres would gain the right to effectively void the remaining two years and $32 million on the deal. Pivetta must return from the IL by Aug. 22 to avoid that scenario.

Pivetta on Tuesday followed fellow rehabbing starter Joe Musgrove on the mound. Musgrove, who is attempting to return from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in October 2024, allowed a run in 2 2/3 innings. He threw 39 pitches, near his prescribed limit, before being lifted.

Both veterans could be critical to the Padres’ chances of qualifying for the playoffs. San Diego, which has carried a thin starting rotation for most of the season, recently resorted to carrying an 11-man bullpen. But team decision-makers have not been banking on Pivetta’s and Musgrove’s ability to make effective returns to the majors. In the final hours before Monday’s trade deadline, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller acquired rental starters Robbie Ray and Casey Mize, alleviating some of the stress on the pitching staff.

Still, losing either Pivetta or Musgrove as a potential late-season option would reduce the team’s margin for error. The Padres sit two games outside the National League playoff picture. FanGraphs has their playoff odds at roughly 27 percent.

Pivetta, who earned down-ballot Cy Young votes in 2025, logged a 4.50 ERA over four starts before injuring himself in mid-April.

This story will be updated.