Pivetta Back After 5-Month Injury | MLB News

0:00It's September 7th. You're listening to MLB News today, AI-powered MLB coverage. The San Diego Padres just activated pitcher Nick Pavetta off the injured list. He's been out for almost five months with an elbow injury he picked up back on April 12th. This is a big deal because he was a key player for them last season, going 13 and 5 with a really low earned run average. Pavetta's recovery wasn't exactly smooth sailing. He had a setback during his rehab where he had to leave a game after only 14 pitches. It looked like his season might be over, but he pushed through and made a couple more rehab starts, showing he was ready to give back on the mound. His last rehab outing was pretty solid, throwing four scoreless innings and striking out seven batters. The manager set his basketball command and his other pitches look good, which is exactly what they wanted to see before bringing him back to the big. To make room for Pavetta, the Padres had to make a couple of roster moves. They sent pitcher Joni Brito down to triple A and designated capture Blake Hunt for Simon.

1:03Hunt was actually hitting pretty well in the minors, so that's an interesting move. Now Pavetta's injury also had some contract implications. Because he was on the injured list for so long, his player options for future seasons have turned into team options. This gives the Padres more control over whether they want to keep him around in the coming years.