The Padres finally have something firmer to hold onto with Nick Pivetta.
After months of vague updates and endless wait-and-see language, AJ Preller offered the clearest sign yet that Pivetta is edging back toward the major league roster. During an appearance on Ben & Woods, the Padres president of baseball operations said Pivetta is feeling good after his recent rehab work, will be at Petco Park this weekend and “could be on the active roster sooner rather than later.”
Preller stopped short of naming a return date, but that alone marked a shift. For a while now, Pivetta and Joe Musgrove have been mentioned in the same breath, with both said to be progressing and both periodically thought to be close.
Then the timeline would stall again. This update was different because it finally pointed toward a specific place: Petco Park, and possibly the active roster soon after.
Pivetta’s latest rehab outing backed up that optimism. He worked 4 1/3 scoreless innings for Triple-A El Paso on Sunday night, striking out seven while allowing two hits and one walk.
He got through 64 pitches and finished cleanly, which mattered after his Aug. 4 rehab start lasted only 14 pitches before tightness in his right elbow forced him out. The Padres shut the process down, then restarted it and began handling him one appearance at a time.
That outing gave San Diego the kind of momentum it had been missing. And it also created a clear split between Pivetta and Musgrove.
Pivetta is now being talked about as a real active-roster possibility. Musgrove is still searching for a recovery plan that actually sticks.
Before the injury, Pivetta’s 2026 season had been short but productive in the strikeout department. He went 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over four starts and 16 innings.
He struck out 24, walked six and held opponents to a .200 average. In his last appearance before elbow stiffness shut him down, he retired all nine Rockies he faced.
So the Padres aren’t looking at a pitcher who had faded away. They lost him while his best stuff was still playing.
That’s why this weekend matters. Pivetta being at Petco Park is a good sign, but the Padres still need the progress to hold.
They can afford to be careful, especially with Robbie Ray and Casey Mize helping steady the rotation, even if Mize has had a few shaky outings. Pivetta doesn’t need to be rushed.
Preller kept the language measured, because the situation still demands it. Even so, this was the first update in a long time that sounded like a path instead of a loop.
Pivetta is ahead of Musgrove in the comeback race now. The next step is making sure this one doesn’t get interrupted too.
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