Padres Could Add All-Star to Bullpen Before End of Season

The 35-year-old is pain-free and on the verge of a rehab assignment.

San Diego Padres relief pitcher Jason Adam (40) lies on the ground during the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Petco Park on Sept. 1, 2025. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jason Adam's season might not be over yet.

The 35-year-old pitcher, who hasn't pitched since June because of a strained right shoulder, is on track to face live hitters before the weekend, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

If the live batting practice goes well, Adam could begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment Sunday.

That would mark Adam's first competitive game since June 29. The Padres didn't place Adam on the injured list immediately after he allowed two hits and a run in his only inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, the difference in a 3-2 loss.

The velocity on all of Adam's 24 pitches in that game were above his season averages. Nonetheless, he landed on the 15-day injured list three days later.

Before going down, Adam had been one of the more reliable arms in the Padres' bullpen. He had a 2.51 ERA over 36 appearances, while also recording two saves — a worthy follow-up campaign to 2025, when he made the first All-Star team in an MLB career that began in 2018.

Although he might need time before he's cleared to pitch on consecutive days, having Adam back in any capacity could make a big difference for the Padres' heavily used high-leverage relievers.

Adam is a proven playoff performer in his career (2.45 ERA in six postseason appearances). A mid-September return is later than the Padres were counting originally, but it puts him in position to contribute to a possible postseason run that was anything but assured at the time he got hurt.

Following therir sweep of the Washington Nationals, the Padres are 78-68, tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks (78-68) in the National League West and wild-card races. One of the two division rivals will most likely be the sixth and final entrant in the postseason field.

Both teams have flaws. The bullpen is the Padres' forte.

However, overuse is emerging as a legitimate concern. Adrian Morejon (68 games), Bradgley Rodriguez (61), Wandy Peralta (60) and Mason Miller (58) all rank in the top 30 in the NL in appearances. Right-handed reliever Jeremiah Estrada, a stalwart in the Padres' 2024 and 2025 wild-card bullpens, is on the injured list again.

Enter Adam, who was refreshingly pain-free after his most recent bullpen session.

“No pains,” he said. “Felt like stuff was moving right. A little rusty with some of the command, but it felt like it was like every other pitch. So the next pitch would be good. … Really clean. I felt like I liked how I was moving [Monday]. It’s just repeating that and increasing the speed of it. I felt like the movements were good.”

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