The San Diego Padres have been the recipients of some bad luck lately on the injury front. Thankfully, it hasn’t affected the club too much yet (though the ramifications of it may not be revealed until later). Entering Friday, the Friars are on an eight-game winning streak and are the hottest team in baseball by far.
San Diego Padres Dealing with Injury Hurdles Despite Winning Streak
Fermin on Concussion Watch
Despite avoiding the concussion list, catcher Freddy Fermin is still being monitored closely after taking a foul ball off his mask in Wednesday night’s 7-6 comeback win over the Seattle Mariners. He exited the game immediately, looking slightly rattled.
Luis Campusano came in for him and played the rest of the game. He also started in Thursday’s series finale. The Padres feel confident that Fermin will not miss too much time. He was available off the bench in Thursday’s game.
The Friars still decided to call up Rodolfo Duran onto the taxi squad. He represents the only real depth option after Fermin and Campy behind the mound. Duran is batting .227/.340/.432 to start the year in Triple-A. That doesn’t sound great, but if replicated in the majors, it would be somewhat solid production from the backstop.
Yikes, we have an injury delay here in San Diego — Brendan Donovan just fouled a 94.3 mph fastball straight back and into Freddy Fermin’s face mask.
He’s coming out of this game. pic.twitter.com/tv6Xq7EDpE
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) April 16, 2026
When Might Pivetta Return?
Nick Pivetta, on the other hand, will not be back soon. The Padres’ team ace exited Sunday’s finale against the Colorado Rockies after pitching only three innings. He had a perfect game going and came out for the fourth inning. But after his fastball lost some velocity, he looked visibly frustrated on the mound, and he quickly left with an athletic trainer.
At the time, not much was said by Pivetta or San Diego on the nature of the injury. Pivetta had called it right arm stiffness, and manager Craig Stammen had suggested it was related to the stiffness that he felt during Cactus League play. During Spring Training, Pivetta missed one start but immediately came back and pitched great since.
After initial testing, his right elbow is inflamed due to a flexor strain, and the Padres placed him on the injured list. The upside is that Pivetta has dealt with the problem before, so he knows the territory. His 2024 season with the Boston Red Sox was sidelined by another flexor strain, but he still managed to throw 145 2/3 innings.
There’s no discussion of surgery yet, but no decision on it either. Although Pivetta and the team are confident that he’ll pitch again this season, he could be out for “weeks and maybe months,” according to Stammen.
The Return of the Knuckleball
Pivetta’s replacement for the time being comes in the call-up of knuckleballer Matt Waldron. He’s starting Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels and will seek to improve on a career 4.86 ERA in the majors. He’s yet to have a true breakout, though he emerged as an important piece of the Padres’ 2024 season.
Matt Waldron today: 2 IP, 0 ER, 1H, 2 K, 1 BB (24 pitches)
📹@padres pic.twitter.com/Uz92hjaV4q
— Talking Friars (@TalkingFriars) February 22, 2026
Realistically, all that Waldron needs to do is serviceably cover innings until Griffin Canning comes off the injured list. That should come rather soon. Canning was signed by the Padres this offseason but needed some time to rehab from the Achilles tear that sidelined him in 2025.
The Padres’ pitching staff has been sterling thus far. They’ve pitched to a 3.35 ERA, the fifth-best mark in MLB. And while their back-end has stumbled a bit, both Walker Buehler and Germán Márquez have put up encouraging outings in the last few weeks. If they can tread water until Pivetta returns (and if the offense keeps mashing the way it has), San Diego will be just fine.
Main Photo Credit: © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
