Padres' AJ Preller Provides New Updates on Joe Musgrove, Nick Pivetta

The starting rotation of the San Diego Padres has been a highly discussed topic all season.

Entering the year, the starting rotation was seen as the biggest weakness on the roster. And to this point in the year, San Diego has lost multiple key arms to injury, only bringing more questions.

Two of the main pitchers who were expected to carry the staff were right-handers Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove.

Musgrove has yet to pitch this season, while Pivetta has been on the injured list since leaving his fourth start early.

Both pitchers could be on track to return to the Padres following the All-Star break, which would offer a big boost to the team.

President of baseball operations A.J. Preller recently provided some new updates on the two arms while speaking on 97.3 The Fan.

"With Joe and Nick, they're starting to play catch, starting to progress," Preller said. "Always going to look at it as it was going to more of July for those guys and that is the timeframe that they're on, so I think we'll start to know more when they ramp up past from the point of playing catch.

"Now they get on the mound, and we've seen this with guys in the past, that until they really get on the mound and they are able to throw more 90-plus mph in game situations and come back and do it again in five days."

AJ Preller joined @BenAndWoods and was asked for the latest updates on several injured Padres including Jake Cronenworth, Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove: pic.twitter.com/XyGmmtywwz
— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) June 12, 2026

Preller also mentioned that the two pitchers are feeling good, but the team remains in a wait-and-see mode with both.

"Those guys are feeling well with all the testing we put them through in this initial stage of throwing, but you gotta really see those guys when they get on the mound and how they bounce back from that," Preller said.

Nick Pivetta Injury Update

Pivetta left his fourth start of the season against the Colorado Rockies with a flexor strain in his right elbow. The injury seemed fairly bad initially, but it's a good sign that he seems to be progressing nicely.

The right-hander has said that he is taking things slowly in his recovery to avoid lingering problems. Pivetta wants to come back to help the Padres win games, and he can only do that if he is fully healthy.

Before his injury, Pivetta had posted an ERA of 4.50 over 16 innings pitched. The righty was expected to be the leader of the starting rotation this season.

Joe Musgrove Injury Update

Musgrove has been out after suffering a setback in spring training, and he's been trying to work his way back. The right-hander has seen multiple unfortunate updates along the way, as his start to the season has been delayed.

The veteran is returning from Tommy John surgery that forced him to miss the entire 2025 season, so the Padres are giving him extra time to heal. Given his injury history, San Diego wants to make sure that he feels fully ready to get back on the mound.

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