Padres Get Major Pitching News as Opening Day Nears

The San Diego Padres revealed some major pitching news as Opening Day nears. The Friars have several injured arms this spring, including relievers Jason Adam and Yuki Matsui as well as starting pitcher Griffin Canning. Here's the latest on the three hurlers.

Jason Adam injury update

Adam's status for Opening Day remains up in the air, but manager Craig Stammen is still leaving the door open for the reliever to be ready for the start of the season.

“I’m not gonna rule it out. We’ll decide what’s best,” Stammen said. “He’s a veteran pitcher so we trust how he’s feeling and try to make the best decision for him.”

Adam suffered a season-ending left-quadriceps tendon rupture in September, which required surgery. The Padres missed the right-hander in the postseason as he sported a 1.93 ERA throughout the regular season, earning the first All-Star selection of his career at age 34.

Adam was one of three relievers to represent San Diego in the Midsummer Classic last summer.

While he has been pitching without any issues for the last three months, the team is being cautious with the veteran as his defensive work is being slow-played.

Yuki Matsui injury update

Matsui is recovering from a left groin strain which he suffered in live batting practice earlier this spring. He was forced to withdraw from the World Baseball Classic because of his injury.

Stammen provided the latest update on the reliever, who is hoping to enter a Cactus League game by the end of spring.

“Yuki’s doing really well, feeling good,” Stammen said. “Hopefully by the end of spring training [we’ll] get him in a game.”

Based on Stammen's remarks, it appears Matsui will almost certainly start the season on the injured list. The Padres bullpen was arguably the best in baseball last season and the team will once again need all their pieces to perform if they want to play deep into October.

Griffin Canning injury update

Canning is one of the handful of Padres arms that won't be ready for Opening Day. The starting rotation has yet to find its fifth starter, but could be in need of another if Joe Musgrove isn't ready to start the season as he gets extra rest.

Canning suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in 2025 and the Padres are not expecting the right-hander to return until around May.

“I don’t know if he’ll make it [in a game] before Cactus League ends. But he’s trending in that direction, starting to throw simulated games. It’s just whether he’s comfortable enough to be able to move off the mound. That’ll be the thing. We just got to be careful with that. He’s beating the timeline right now. He’s at a point where we just don’t want to risk it," Stammen said.

Canning sported a 3.77 ERA with the New York Mets last season and played an important role for their rotation before his injury. Once the right-hander returns, he could play a pivotal part with the Padres.

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