Nick Pivetta is Finally Back, and the Padres Rotation is Suddenly Terrifying

Nick Pivetta is finally returning to the San Diego Padres rotation after five months on the injured list, which in modern pitching timelines is basically a quick nap.

According to MLB Trade Rumors, San Diego is activating the right-hander from the 60-day IL on Monday to start against the Washington Nationals. Randy Vasquez is getting handed a bullpen jacket to make room, signaling that the Padres are officially done messing around with their rotation depth.

"Padres manager Craig Stammen noted that the team's weekend bullpen session would 'set him up for his next start.'"

Pivetta has been a ghost since mid-April when a flexor strain shut him down. He managed just four starts and a 4.50 ERA over 16 innings before his elbow decided to clock out for the summer.

If you are looking at the betting markets for Monday's game, do not expect Pivetta to suddenly turn into a workhorse. He threw 64 pitches in his last rehab start for Triple-A El Paso on August 30, meaning he is likely capped around 80 pitches against Washington. The Padres are almost certainly going to piggyback him with a long reliever to protect his arm.

The timing of this return is massive for a San Diego team clinging to a half-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final National League wild-card spot.

Ironically, the Padres rotation has been an absolute buzzsaw without him. Since the All-Star break, San Diego starters have posted a collective 3.24 ERA, the second-best mark in baseball. Deadline additions like Robbie Ray and Casey Mize, alongside Michael King and a suddenly competent Walker Buehler, turned a massive question mark into a legitimate weapon.

Adding Pivetta back into that mix gives manager Craig Stammen an embarrassment of riches just in time for the playoffs. If Pivetta can just survive Monday night without his elbow barking, the Padres might actually have enough healthy arms to make a real run in October.