Jason Adam didn’t take the mound Tuesday, but he still gave the Padres something important: a much clearer picture of how aggressive they can be at the trade deadline.
In a clubhouse interview shared by 97.3 The Fan, Adam said his injured right shoulder is improving and mapped out a realistic return window for late August. If that timeline holds, he’d have enough time to ramp back up, rebuild his workload and slide back into a key bullpen role before the postseason.
That matters because it sharpens the Padres’ priorities. A.J.
Preller can keep starting pitching at the top of the shopping list, and he should. San Diego doesn’t need another major bullpen addition nearly as much as it needs a starter who can get through the sixth inning without turning every outing into a scramble.
Adam has been out since the start of July with a subscapularis strain, one of the four muscles in the rotator cuff. The encouraging part is that his MRI showed no major structural damage. The slower part is that he still hasn’t begun throwing, even with plyometric balls, and the Padres are waiting for the remaining discomfort to fade before moving him forward.
“We’ve got to knock the last little bit out just to keep it from coming back,” Adam said, adding that “every day is getting better.”
Late August isn’t something to etch in stone, but it does give the Padres a workable path. If Adam keeps progressing, San Diego could head into September with Mason Miller, Adrián Morejón, Jeremiah Estrada and Adam all available for high-leverage innings. That’s the kind of bullpen that can shorten games in October.
And Adam has earned that place in the mix. He posted a 2.51 ERA and led the team with 17 holds before the injury.
His uneven June doesn’t erase how important he’s been since arriving in San Diego. He’s the kind of reliever who can miss bats, escape traffic and handle tough spots without needing a matchup built perfectly around him.
The rotation, though, is a different story. Returns from Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove would help, but a club chasing a Wild Card spot can’t build its stretch-run plan around rehab hopes alone.
Adam’s situation is encouraging because the shoulder issue didn’t involve major structural damage. Pivetta and Musgrove are working back from elbow issues, and that’s a much less comfortable place to be.
So Preller’s mission stays simple: find reliability. The Padres need a starter who can keep games close and stop the bullpen from being asked to clean up the mess in the fifth. That’s the difference between using those relievers to survive games and using them to finish them.
Adam’s late-August target doesn’t guarantee anything. But it does help define the deadline roadmap. The Padres can already see the shape of their postseason bullpen, and it still looks like one of the most dangerous groups in baseball.
In Other News...
Padres Face A Defining Angels Trade Choice For Their Rotation
The Padres are still staring at a rotation question that could shape the rest of their season, and the Angels have at least two arms that fit the conversation. Jos Soriano and Reid Detmers both bring the kind of team control that makes them more than a rental fix, which is why any deal would almost certainly mean parting with meaningful prospect capital. For San Diego, the appeal is obvious: add a starter who can stabilize the middle of the staff and help take pressure off the rest of the pitching mix.
Detmers, in particular, checks a few boxes that matter in this ballpark and this roster. The left-hander has flashed a much cleaner strikeout-to-walk profile than Soriano, and his profile plays better in Petco Park, where some of the damage from fly balls can be softened. He would also give the Padres a third conventional starter, a move that could allow JP Sears, Randy Vsquez and other multi-inning arms to stay in shorter roles while the club decides how aggressive it wants to be in talks with Anaheim. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Bullpen Anxiety Just Spiked With This Deadline Rumor
With the trade deadline approaching, the Pirates are looking hard at their bullpen even though their rotation has been a strength. ESPNs Jeff Passan reported that Pittsburgh wants to add relief help and pointed to Padres left-hander Adrian Morejon as a possible target, a sign that San Diegos bullpen depth is already drawing attention from a club trying to shore up its late-inning options.
Morejon has put together a strong season, with a 3.14 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 57.1 innings, and his profile fits the kind of arm teams tend to chase in July. As an impending free agent, he also brings the kind of short-term appeal that can make a contender or a buyer on the fringe of the market take a serious look, which is exactly why this rumor is worth watching from the Padres side. [Read more 🡒]