Nick Pivetta is confident he’ll pitch again this season.
Yet the root cause of the inflammation in Pivetta’s right elbow — a flexor strain — will sideline the 33-year-old right-hander “weeks and maybe months,” manager Craig Stammen said Wednesday.
There is no talk of surgery for now. Pivetta missed roughly a month with a flexor strain in 2024 and came back to throw 1342/3 innings.
“We’re kind of discussing exactly what that looks like,” Stammen said. “He’s definitely going to take some time off throwing, let it rest, let it heal and then get back on the throwing program and strengthening program. So it’s probably going to be more weeks and maybe months than it is just specific days. So he’s going to take some time. But we feel pretty confident he’s going to get back this year.”
Pivetta exited Sunday’s start in the top of the fourth inning with elbow stiffness. He was placed on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday and on Wednesday called the media over to his locker to address his status.
“Feeling better day by day,” he said. “You know, it’s going to take some time. It’s going to be a little bit of a process, but we have a good medical staff here trying to do the right things and just trying to get ahead of it.”
He added: “For me, it’s just focusing on rehab. I have really good strength, which is a positive. I think just listening to my body, making sure that I’m listening, actually listening to it, not just pitching through things and taking the right measures and leaning on the great medical staff we have here. Those guys are going to help me out like they have before.”
Pivetta had a start pushed back in spring training with what was described as arm fatigue. Three days after elbow stiffness forced him from the game, Pivetta did not push back on the potential similarities.
“I think it probably correlates a little bit,” Pivetta said. “I think it’s something a little bit different in this sense, but I think … parts of that probably came back too.”
Pivetta allowed six runs in three innings on opening day before rallying over his next three starts, which included three no-hit innings to start Sunday’s game.
Any amount of time on the injured list is both a blow to Pivetta and a Padres team looking to qualify for the postseason for a third straight year.
Pivetta is making $19 million this season and was seen as a surefire opt-out candidate — he’ll make $14 million in 2027 if he opts in — had he come close to replicating a season in which he led the rotation with 13 wins, a 2.87 ERA and 181⅔ innings pitched.
Knuckleballer Matt Waldron is taking Pivetta’s spot in the rotation this weekend.
“It’s really frustrating for me personally,” Pivetta said. “I mean, I was feeling really well. I felt like I was pitching better. I love contributing to the team. I take great pride in playing baseball, playing for the fans, playing for my teammates, for the organization.
“So, you know, just take a step back. Lean on my teammates. Lean on Joe (Musgrove), (Yu) Darvish, and just see how it goes from here.”
