Two injured San Diego Padres starting pitchers are set to take big steps this week in their returns.
Right-handed pitcher Nick Pivetta, who exited his first rehab start on Aug. 4 due to tightness in his elbow, is restarting his rehab progression with a start on Tuesday night at Single-A Lake Elsinore.
Right-hander Joe Musgrove, who's already made three rehab starts, will be making what could be his final one on Thursday for Triple-A El Paso.
The Lake Elsinore Storm announced that Pivetta will be the starting pitcher on Tuesday in Rancho Cucamonga. This is a huge development after Pivetta's major scare just three weeks ago.
"He's feeling very good right now," manager Craig Stammen said of Pivetta. "Feeling a lot better. Very excited about his next opportunity."
Pivetta will have to restart his entire rehab progression, meaning he's likely at least three or four weeks away from a return.
However, the Padres have said they'll consider bringing Pivetta back in the bullpen , meaning he could return sooner as he wouldn't need to be built up to a full starter's workload.
"I think he's going to get on a five-day schedule and try to ramp up to be a starting pitcher, and we'll see,"Stammen said recently. "We'll watch him every step of the way and determine if he's ready to step into the rotation or if we want a different role for him."
Either way, Tuesday is a huge step for Pivetta, who now has a clear path to return this season assuming he doesn't suffer another setback.
Musgrove will start for the El Paso Chihuahuas on Thursday night in what could very well be his final rehab outing.
Musgrove built up to 4.2 innings in his most recent start. The Padres would love to get him to six innings or 85 pitches in this one, setting up him to make his long-awaited return to the big leagues next week.
"I feel like I'm ready," Musgrove said to the San Diego Union-Tribune . "You know, so it's kind of up to them what they want me to get. Obviously, the six innings, 85 pitches or so, which I'm hoping to in this next one. So, I've kind of known that I have one more outing at least ahead of me."
The injury concern with right-handed pitcher Casey Mize , who suffered a sprained ankle in his most recent start , won't have an impact on Musgrove's progression. After nearly two years without throwing a pitch at the big league level, the Padres want to make sure everything goes smoothly in his final steps before returning for San Diego.
"Especially with the way we're playing, there's not like this urgent need to rush back right now," Musgrove added. "We're so close, so I think they really want to make sure we get it right."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/padres/onsi as Padres Make Major Announcement on Nick Pivetta, Joe Musgrove .
