Nick Pivetta has been out since April with a flexor strain in his right elbow, and this week's rehab debut with Single-A Lake Elsinore lasted just 14 pitches before he walked off the mound with tightness in that same elbow. He was able to get through an extra 20-30 pitches off a bullpen mound afterward, which gave the Padres some hope it wasn't a total setback, but it was enough for the team to hit the brakes on his progression for a couple of extra days while they sort out what's actually going on.
MLB Trade Rumors laid out why this specific pause matters more than a normal rehab hiccup. Pivetta signed a 4-year, $55 million deal with San Diego before the 2024-25 offseason, and buried in it is an injury protection clause that favors the team: if he suffers a specific injury in the first 2 seasons that keeps him on the IL for more than 130 consecutive days, a conditional $14 million club option for 2027 kicks in.
That's not a hypothetical anymore. Pivetta landed on the IL on April 14, which means he needs to be back in a big league game by August 22 to stay under that 130-day threshold. A stalled rehab assignment eats directly into that runway, and every extra day off the mound now makes the deadline harder to hit.
If Pivetta ends up crossing 130 days, the ramifications are significant. The two guaranteed years left on his deal, including $18 million for 2028, would be voided, both of his player opt-outs would disappear, and the Padres would gain that unilateral $14 million option for 2027 instead. He'd effectively become a free agent after 2027 if San Diego declines it.
None of that changes the more immediate problem, which is that the Padres are trying to get a rotation piece back for a stretch run without knowing how his elbow is going to hold up. San Diego is chasing a playoff spot in a crowded NL field, and a healthy Pivetta was supposed to be a real boost down the stretch. Instead, the front office is now watching a contract clock and a health clock tick at the same time, and neither one is on the Padres' side of the calendar right now.