AJ Preller gives Padres their clearest Nick Pivetta return update in months

The Padres have spent months talking about Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove in the same cloudy dialect. Both were making progress and feeling good. At points, both were close enough where we could start thinking about the Padres rotation receiving reinforcements.

Then another delay would land, and we would be right back where we started. AJ Preller changed the conversation 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.”

He didn’t go as far as to announce an activation date. But still, this is the first public update in a long time that places him near the Padres’ roster instead of somewhere along an open-ended rehab trail.

Nick Pivetta has separated himself from Joe Musgrove

Pivetta threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings for Triple-A El Paso on Sunday night, striking out seven while allowing two hits and one walk. He reached 64 pitches and finished the outing without another dramatic exit. Different from his Aug. 4 rehab start that ended after only 14 pitches when tightness in his right elbow forced him off the mound. The Padres paused his assignment, restarted the process and went back to evaluating him one appearance at a time.

His performance in El Paso gave the Padres the forward momentum they had lacked for months. Musgrove is still waiting for the same breakthrough which creates a dividing line.

Pivetta is being discussed as an active-roster possibility. Musgrove is still trying to establish a workable recovery schedule.

Pivetta’s 2026 body of work was brief and uneven before the injury. He went 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across four starts and 16 innings. The swing-and-miss was still jumping off the page with 24 strikeouts against six walks while opponents hit only .200.

Pivetta also retired all nine Rockies he faced in his final appearance before elbow stiffness ended his afternoon. He’s certainly not cooked. The Padres lost him while his best weapons were still working.

Petco Park is now Pivetta’s real checkpoint

Pivetta’s presence at Petco Park this weekend is encouraging news, but we’ll still need that progress to hold. The Padres can afford to be demanding about his readiness. Trade-deadline additions Robbie Ray and Casey Mize have helped stabilize the rotation, even though Mize has gone through a few shaky starts. Pivetta doesn’t have to rush his way back.

Preller’s language remains cautious because the situation calls for it. However, this time his optimism finally points somewhere concrete. Pivetta returning to Petco Park, the active roster and a decision that may be approaching.

Pivetta has moved ahead of Musgrove in the Padres’ comeback race. Now he has to make sure this encouraging update survives the weekend.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow