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Padres Notes: Pitcher Sent Down, Fernando Tatis HR Drought, SD Could Void Nick Pivetta Contract

Catch up on all the latest Padres news and notes.
Gabe Smallson|
Apr 28, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) reacts after a ball call during the fifth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images
Apr 28, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) reacts after a ball call during the fifth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images

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San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres demoted one of their best bullpen arms of last season to Triple-A El Paso on Thursday. After he debuted towards the end of May 2025, the right-hander posted a 2.06 ERA in 41 appearances last year.

Despite a brief stint on the injured list in September, he was activated before the close of the regular season and even pitched a scoreless inning in the wild-card series. The hope is that he will get back to form in the minors, and upon his return to MLB action, work to lower his 6.08 ERA.

In other news, superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. leads MLB in an unfortunate category as his home run drought soldiers on. After Wednesday's loss, the 27-year-old spoke on his frustration with the rough patch.

“I’m doing everything,” Tatis said. “Hitting early, doing batting practice, after [games]. It still doesn’t turn around. I don’t know. Trying to figure it out.”

In addition to being without a long ball, Tatis is hitting .250/.323/.286 with 13 RBIs. Ironically, he is second in MLB in terms of hard-hit rate (batted balls hit 95 mph or higher), doing so 64.7% of the time. He trails just James Wood of the Washington Nationals who does so just 0.1% more.

Finally, the Padres could potentially have the option to void right-hander Nick Pivetta's contract amid his elbow injury due to a clause in the deal he signed ahead of the 2025 campaign. After originally going down during an April 12 start, manager Craig Stammen warned fans that Pivetta would be out for a longer period of time.

“It’s probably going to be more weeks and maybe months than it is just specific days," he said. "We feel pretty confident he’s going to get back this year.”

As things currently stand, Pivetta must return to the mound before Aug. 22 in order to have the option to pick up his option next season. If not, the Padres could void the contract and send him to free agnecy.

Here’s all the latest Padres news and stories (click the headline for the full article):

Padres Demote Key Pitcher in Surprise Move Amid Struggles

Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. Leads MLB in Unfortunate Category as Concerns Mount

Padres Could Void Nick Pivetta's Contract Due to Elbow Injury

Lucas Giolito's Former Teammate Calls Him 'Perfect Fit' With Padres

Mason Miller Credits Ruben Niebla for Padres' Pitching Success

Padres Announce Starting Pitchers for White Sox Series

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Gabe Smallson
GABE SMALLSON

Gabe Smallson is a sportswriter based in Los Angeles with a focus in sports and entertainment content. Gabe has previously worked at Newsweek and Dodgers Nation. He graduated from San Francisco State University in 2020 and received his Masters of Science at the University of Southern California in 2025.

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