Padres Insider Reveals Return Timelines for Joe Musgrove, Nick Pivetta

The San Diego Padres are in dire need of a stronger starting rotation, and the returns of Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta would go a long way for a team hoping to have a shot at the postseason.

Musgrove missed the entirety of the 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2024 and suffered a right elbow setback during spring training in March, which has delayed his recovery.

Pivetta was placed on the injured list in mid-April after suffering a right elbow flexor strain and has struggled to get fully healthy.

Because of their absence, as well as Yu Darvish, Lucas Giolito, Matt Waldron and German Marquez all missing time, the Padres have had to scramble to fill their ever-changing starting rotation.

Musgrove and Pivetta don't have concrete timetables for their returns, but Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that multiple sources have said the team believes both could be back at different points in August.

Musgrove threw his first bullpen since spring training on Wednesday, a promising sign for a pitcher that hasn't seen action since October 2024.

“It was pretty much fastballs only,” Musgrove said. “I threw a couple of my other [pitches], but mainly just like a 80% touch-and-feel kind of bullpen.”

Pivetta is slightly ahead of Musgrove, with three bullpen sessions under his belt, but said there were "lots of steps to go."

Both pitchers would add a much-needed boost to the starting rotation. In 2024, Musgrove started 19 games with a 3.88 ERA before exiting his postseason start. Pivetta held a 2.87 ERA, the best among Padres starting pitchers in 2025, and a 13-5 record across 31 starts.

This year, Pivetta had a 4.50 ERA before exiting his fourth start of the season.

In the wake of the absences of Musgrove and Pivetta, Michael King has been the Padres' best starter, with a 3.41 ERA. Through what has been a disappointing first half of the season, King has been the Padres' go-to guy, according to manager Craig Stammen.

"Michael has fought through everything this year," Stammen said. "He has taken the ball for us every single time. He’s one guy that we look forward to in the rotation. We know we have a really good shot when he’s our starting pitcher, and he’s pitched really well for the majority of the season."

Add us as a preferred source on Google