Padres’ Nick Pivetta suffers concerning setback in first rehab appearance

The Padres spent the trade deadline reinforcing their starting rotation. Less than 24 hours later, Nick Pivetta is proving why depth matters, and how quickly it can disappear. His first rehab appearance since landing on the IL ended after only 14 pitches on Aug. 4. The righty recorded two outs for the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm before abruptly leaving the mound with an apparent injury.

They guy threw eight strikes, allowed one hit and reached 95 mph. Those details would normally be an encouraging sign. They became secondary the moment he shook his head, walked off the mound and headed directly into the dugout.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Pivetta exited in the middle of the fourth inning. The Padres have not yet provided clarity about what forced him out of the game.

Nick Pivetta’s early exit changes the Padres’ rotation outlook

We can’t diagnose an injury from a brief walk to the dugout. But we can’t treat this like it isn’t a concerning development. Pivetta hadn’t pitched in a game since experiencing flexor discomfort during his April 12 start against the Colorado Rockies. When a guy has to exit his first rehab after just 14 pitches, the alarm bells are certainly going to ring.

Even if the Padres label his departure precautionary. Starting pitchers don’t usually jump from a handful of Low-A pitches directly into the major league rotation. Pivetta still needs innings, recovery days and additional appearances before the Friars can seriously consider his activation. A delay in August eats into the stretch run and puts the remainder of the season in doubt much faster.

The Padres added Robbie Ray and Casey Mize to the rotation on Monday, and for precisely this reason. The Padres cannot count on Pivetta until they know what happened and see him complete another outing without incident.

Pivetta made four starts before hitting the IL, posting a 1-2 record and a 4.50 ERA. Those numbers weren’t dominant, but it was also a limited sample from him.

The best-case scenario is that Pivetta felt something minor and stopped as a precaution. The body language from his exit didn’t look good. Still, that possibility exists until we know more.

At this point, there’s no value in rushing him now. If Pivetta needs more time, the Padres must give it to him and lean on the arms they just acquired.

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