Joe Musgrove (elbow) throws two simulated frames

Pivetta struck out four and walked one but also allowed two home runs while throwing 35 of his 47 pitches for strikes. We don’t have much data from High-A parks, but it’s nice to see that Pivetta threw as many strikes as he did and that he ended the outing healthy after having to walk off the mound the last time he was making a rehab start. He should move to Double-A or Triple-A for his next outing, which could come over the weekend.

Pivetta is running out of time to make it back to San Diego, but continues to make gradual progress after an injury scare earlier this month. The 33-year-old has been out with a flexor strain that sent him to the injured list back in mid-April. There’s a chance he makes it back to San Diego at some point in the final month of the year.

Musgrove’s timeline to return to San Diego’s rotation mix remains rather nebulous, but he figures to be ready to contribute at some point in the final month of the season. The 33-year-old is working his way back from Tommy John surgery and hasn’t pitched in a big-league contest since the 2024 postseason.

There was some thought that Musgrove would come off the IL this weekend, but that he gave up five runs in his last rehab start seemed to put the kibosh on that. It sounds like he’ll pitch again in the minors before getting a rotation spot.

Musgrove is expected to make his next rehab start Friday for Triple-A El Paso. The right-hander could return to the Padres’ rotation shortly after, but may need one more rehab outing before that can happen.

Musgrove hasn’t pitched in a game since Game 2 of the 2024 Wild Card Series against the Braves. He left that game injured and underwent Tommy John surgery a week later. During spring training this year, he experienced a setback with his elbow that delayed his recovery. It wasn’t until July that he started to face live hitters again, but he looked good in his last rehab start, throwing 1.6 mph harder than he did in 2024. He’ll likely need two more rehab starts, but he could be an option for the Padres and fantasy managers in September.

The Padres are obviously proceeding with an abundance of caution and will wait to see how Pivetta responds before determining his next steps. The 33-year-old set off alarm bells when he abruptly exited a minor league rehab start, but appears to have avoided serious injury. There’s a chance he’s back in San Diego at some point in the final few weeks of the year. He’s been out since mid-April due to a flexor strain in his elbow.

Musgrove, making his way back from Tommy John, averaged 94.6 mph with his fastball, which is really encouraging. He averaged 93.0 mph in his 19 starts in 2024, and his career high for a season was 93.5 mph in 2018. He threw 53 pitches today, so he’ll probably need at least one more rehab start. However, the uptick in his stuff makes him worth stashing in mixed leagues now.

The 33-year-old right-hander continues to progress in his recovery from Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery. He threw 39 pitches his last time out at Single-A Lake Elsinore on Tuesday, so anticipate him throwing around 50-60 pitches this time out. Barring any setbacks, he could be ready to join the Padres’ rotation at the end of August.

There was some fear that Pivetta had aggravated his elbow injury when he had ot leave his rehab start early on Tuesday. However, he was able to throw in the bullpen after leaving the game, and Stammen says that it’s “all systems forward” right now. We’ll admit to still being a little worried, but it seems like we’ll get another rehab start from Pivetta next week to track his progress.