The Padres have placed starting pitcher Nick Pivetta on the 15-day injured list due to elbow inflammation, effective retroactively from April 13. To fill his spot, the team has called up reliever Alek Jacob from Triple-A El Paso.
Pivetta had to exit a recent game against the Rockies after three perfect innings because of stiffness in his elbow. Manager Craig Stammen shared that they are waiting for imaging results to understand the injury better and determine how long Pivetta may be out.
Currently, Pivetta joins Joe Musgrove and Griffin Canning on the injured list. Musgrove hasn’t been able to throw from a mound yet, while Canning is on a rehab assignment but may require nearly the entire 30 days for recovery from his Achilles tear last season.
Matt Waldron, who started the season injured, is expected to return this week. Stammen mentioned that Waldron would replace Pivetta in the starting rotation. Meanwhile, Michael King is set to pitch tonight, with Randy Vásquez and Walker Buehler likely following in the next two games. Germán Márquez is also slated to pitch in Friday’s series opener against the Angels. If needed, the Padres could keep Waldron on the injured list a bit longer to add an extra reliever temporarily.
Pivetta’s health is crucial not just for this season. He recently ranked sixth in the NL Cy Young voting and earned the Opening Day start this year. So far, he has 24 strikeouts in 16 innings, with a 4.50 earned run average. If Pivetta remains healthy, he could be a prime free-agent pitcher next winter, as he has the option to opt out of the remaining two years and $32 million on his contract.
In a broader context, injuries like Pivetta’s often challenge teams’ depth and strategies in a long season. According to recent data from the Sports Injury Prediction Model, elbow injuries are among the most common for pitchers, leading to significant time away from the game. As teams like the Padres navigate these uncertainties, the importance of their rotation depth becomes even clearer.
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