Padres’ bullpen breathes again after Jason Adam’s IL outlook takes a turn

The Padres bullpen took a massive hit in the final stretch of the 2025 regular season when Jason Adam suffered a torn quad tendon. Leading up to the injury, Adam had tossed 65.1 innings with a 1.93 ERA.

Luckily for San Diego, which has the deepest bullpen in baseball, they were able to overcome it by relying on their offense and seeing other guys step up in Adam’s role. Mason Miller and Adrian Morejón are some to name. However, when the playoffs rolled around, it was clear that Adam's absence proved costly.

Padres relievers got overworked, Morejón especially, who threw 4.1 innings over three days. Despite the effort, it wasn’t enough, as the team was bounced three games against the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card.

Padres’ bullpen caught a break as Jason Adam starts trending off the IL

With a retooled roster in 2026, the Padres will need Adam and the rest of the bullpen to do what they’ve always done, which is shove. 

The recovery time for Adam was 6-to-9 months, and we are approaching the six-month mark. There is the chance that Adam starts the season on the injured list, but the 34-year-old is doing all he can to avoid that outcome.

“Adam's declaration last week on 97.3 The Fan that he thought he could be ready for the opener seemed like mere optimism. However, it appears he does indeed have a chance to avoid a stint on the injured list, with the reliever noting Friday that the Padres' medical staff was on board.”

Depending on if the Padres training staff can work miracles, we don’t believe it would be wise for Adam to start the season immediately. The team needs him fully healthy to be the shutdown man in the eighth inning, leading up to Mason Miller.

While it may not be the smartest idea, his presence would still certainly benefit the team.