On Tuesday night, the San Diego Padres will continue their four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
Most recently, the Padres lost the series opener 5-1 on Monday.
Right-handed pitcher Nick Pivetta participated in a rehab outing for the team’s minor league affiliate.
San Diego Padres Get Bad News on Nick Pivetta
MLB.com’s Padres beat writer AJ Cassavell posted on X: “Oh man. Nick Pivetta, making a rehab outing in Lake Elsinore, just walked off the mound mid-inning after throwing a pitch, potentially with an injury.”
Pivetta had registered only two outs while facing three batters, coming in relief for the Lake Elsinore Storm.
Regarding the injury, Clark Fahrenthold posted on X: “Not good a good scene. Nick Pivetta delivers a 2-2 fastball and immediately walks off the field and into the Storm dugout”
Pivetta had not pitched in a game since April 12th against the Colorado Rockies, where he departed after only 46 pitches. That game was Pivetta’s fourth start of the season.
San Diego’s opening day starter was expected to bolster the Padres rotation down the stretch this season. He was San Diego’s best pitcher last season as he posted a 13-5 record with a 2.87 ERA in 181.2 innings. Unfortunately, his second season with the Padres has been much more difficult as he’s thrown only 16 innings with a 4.50 ERA.
Prior to the 2024 season, Pivetta signed a four-year, $55 million contract with the Padres. That contract however, features potential opt-outs after the second and third season. While the expectation was that Pivetta would opt-out of his contract, perhaps this new injury affects things.
Padres Right Now
After dropping Monday’s series opener against the Diamondbacks, the San Diego Padres are now two games behind Arizona and the Philadelphia Phillies in the Wild Card race. Losing Pivetta will make San Diego’s path to the playoffs even more difficult.
Fortunately, the team added some help to the rotation at the trade deadline as they acquired former Cy Young winner Robbie Ray from the San Francisco Giants and former All-Star Casey Mize from the Detroit Tigers. Both pitchers have been successful this season. Ray has a 10-6 record with a 3.08 ERA in 21 starts. While Mize has a 2.70 ERA in 86.2 innings.
Meanwhile, for Tuesday’s game right-hander Randy Vásquez is expected to start. Vásquez has had an up-and-down season as he has a 6-6 record with a 4.45 ERA in 95 innings. After a difficult portion for Vásquez, he was moved to the bullpen. Tuesday’s game will mark his return to the starting pitcher role.
Padres Get Bad News on Nick Pivetta During Arizona Series