Padres Place Nick Pivetta on Injured List With Elbow Injury, Recall Surprise Pitcher

The San Diego Padres have placed right-handed pitcher Nick Pivetta on the injured list and called up right-handed pitcher Alek Jacob, the team announced before their series opener against the Seattle Mariners.

The team called Pivetta's injury "right elbow inflammation," and said the move was retroactive to Monday, April 13.

We have recalled RHP Alek Jacob from Triple-A El Paso and placed RHP Nick Pivetta on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation (retro to April 13).
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) April 14, 2026

Jacob will provide the Padres an extra arm during their series against Seattle at Petco Park. The reliever can take down multiple innings and save other guys in the bullpen in the event of a blowout.

As for Pivetta, he left his start Sunday against the Colorado Rockies with an elbow issue, leaving the starting rotation scarily thin.

He didn't have much information to share about the elbow injury on Sunday aside from trying to pitch in spite of the pain to help his team win a ball game.

“I think it’s too early to tell for me,” Pivetta said on Sunday. “I just tried to go out there, do the best I could, get as deep in the baseball game as I possibly could. Obviously, didn’t feel good. I came out of the game. But the bullpen picked me up. Team did a great job. A lot of home runs, a lot of great plays. Was able to get a really good sweep and build some good momentum as well.”

The right-hander was poised to the lead the Padres rotation in 2026 after emerging as the team's most reliable starter last year.

Now, he'll spent some time on the injured list in a concerning development for the right-hander.

Alek Jacob Won't Be With Padres Long

The Padres don't plan to keep Jacob on the active roster for long as Pivetta's replacement is actually right-handed pitcher Matt Waldron, who the team doesn't need to pitch until their next series against the Los Angeles Angels.

Waldron began the season on the injured list after undergoing hemorrhoid surgery this spring. The circumstances were certainly unique, but it gave the Padres one less option amid the starting rotation competition in camp.

The right-hander was lights out on his rehab assignment at Triple-A, tossing 12 scoreless frames with 12 strikeouts. The Padres could use a much-needed boost after losing Pivetta, who posted a 4.50 ERA with 24 strikeouts across 16 innings of work before landing on the IL.

It was no surprise Waldron would replace Pivetta in the rotation given his performance and a telling clue. Tuesday afternoon, the Padres clubhouse included a locker with Waldron's name on it hinting at an incoming roster move.

Lo and behold, Pivetta is now heading to the IL.

Waldron is expected to start in Pivetta's place on Friday.

Nick Pivetta Injury Concerns

Pivetta suffered a minor setback in camp this spring, something the Padres labeled as arm fatigue. There was concern he would not be able to make his Opening Day start for the team, but Pivetta returned in time.

There's no confirmation the two injuries are linked, but Pivetta's departure has propelled the front office to potentially take action.

A report from The Athletic stated the Padres are pursuing right-handed starter Lucas Giolioto, who is a free agent that has been linked to San Diego over the last few months.

While president of baseball operations A.J. Preller tries to potentially orchestrate a deal for Giolito, the Padres rotation will have to manage without one of its frontline starters for the time being.

This could be a challenge for the unit, as it was already thin to begin with.

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