The Padres got two very different rehab updates on Tuesday, and the contrast could hardly have been sharper.
Nick Pivetta’s first rehab appearance at Single-A Lake Elsinore ended almost as soon as it began. The right-hander walked off the mound after his 14th pitch and headed straight to the dugout, with an apparent injury interrupting what was supposed to be a key step in his return.
He was seen shaking his head as he made his way back. Before the exit, Pivetta had thrown 14 pitches, landed eight for strikes and hit 95 mph.
Pivetta is expected to go through testing to determine what happened, but the timing makes this a particularly troubling setback. San Diego has been waiting on him since he left his fourth start of the season because of elbow discomfort. The club had been taking a careful approach to his recovery to make sure he was fully ready when he returned, and the right-hander had been projected to anchor the staff after a strong 2025 season.
Now the situation looks even more complicated. Pivetta could also take a financial hit if he is not back by Aug. 22, since the final two years of his deal with the Padres can be voided. This latest issue almost certainly knocks him out of that window.
Pivetta was working in tandem with Joe Musgrove, who was also making his first rehab outing. Unlike Pivetta, Musgrove got through his start.
The veteran right-hander threw 39 pitches over 2.2 innings, allowed a single and a double, and saw a run score on a wild pitch. He also walked two and struck out three.
Afterward, Musgrove said the outing accomplished what he needed most.
“Good. I think big checkmark is just getting in there, getting in the pace and the tempo of a normal start.
Kind of getting your times back in line, getting comfortable being on the mound with the pitch clock, obviously having hitters in the box," Musgrove said to reporters, via Marty Caswell. "So checked off a lot of things, physically feel great.
So, yeah, good day.”
Musgrove has been sidelined since the end of the 2024 season and missed all of 2025 after Tommy John surgery. The Padres will still proceed carefully with Pivetta, but Musgrove’s successful return to the mound offered at least one encouraging sign. The team also added two starters before Monday’s deadline, with left-hander Robbie Ray and right-hander Casey Mize expected to join the rotation soon, while Musgrove appears to be a few weeks behind them.
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