Padres notes: Nick Pivetta plays catch; Craig Stammen returns to where it began; other IL updates

WASHINGTON - Several hours before the Padres played on Friday, Nick Pivetta stood in the outfield at Nationals Park and played catch for the first time since going on the injured list.

It is a big step, but just the first step in a process the Padres hope will have one of their top starting pitchers back pitching in games sometime in late summer.

"It's just making sure my arm can move, and my arm moved fine," Pivetta said. "It won't be until I get off a mound and get some length and put something behind the ball that we will know how I feel."

Pivetta, who departed in the third inning of his fourth start and was diagnosed with a flexor strain in his right (throwing) elbow, is expected to spend the next two weeks throwing at about the same low intensity he did Friday.

Fellow starter Joe Musgrove, who had a setback in his return from Tommy John surgery, began throwing plyo balls last week and is expected to play catch in the coming days.

The team plans to be extremely cautious with both veterans with the hope they can pitch to their usual standard when they return, which the Padres hope will be to help them in a playoff chase and in the postseason.

For real this time

Craig Stammen has joked about managing games at Nationals Park before.

"I was a second-guesser for sure out in the bullpen," he said Friday.

Now he is back at the ballpark and in the visiting dugout, managing for real.

Stammen returned several times as a player to the place he made his major league debut in 2009 and called his home ballpark for the first seven years of his career, but this series provided an occasion to reminisce about the managers and coaches, such as Davey Johnson, who taught him baseball at the highest level.

"I can hear those voices in the back of my head, especially Davey in usage of the bullpen," Stammen said. "A lot of those guys poured a lot into me and allowed me to be in the position I am now. They taught me baseball from a very young age, when I thought I knew it all and didn't know anything. And hopefully now I'm using that experience to help our team be at its best."

Stammen brought a couple of his former coaches back with him. On his staff are bench coach Randy Knorr and third-base coach Bob Henley, both of whom were coaching in the minor leagues when Stammen was drafted by the Nationals in 2005 and were on the major league staff during his time in Washington.

Not yet

With some details regarding the ownership group still to be worked out, MLB owners are not expected to vote on the Padres' transfer of ownership at their quarterly meetings that begin June 10.

Instead, a vote is expected to be held via teleconference, perhaps later in the month.

José E. Felciano and Kwanza Jones have entered into an agreement to purchase controlling interest in the Padres, with their stake expected to be between 40% and 45%. Many members of the current ownership group are staying on, though some are selling parts of their share and others are increasing their share. Some new people/entities are also joining.

Feliciano will become the Padres' new control person, pending approval by 75% (22) of the other 29 owners.

Injury updates

• Second baseman Jake Cronenworth (concussion) continues to work out at Petco Park, running and playing catch and even swinging lightly in the batting cage. A timetable for his return, according to Stammen, "is not something that is going to happen here really quickly. It's going to be a pretty slow process."
• Catcher Luis Campusano (toe fracture) is working out and doing baseball activities at the team's complex in Peoria, Ariz. There is no timetable for when he will begin a rehab assignment.
• Starting pitcher Germán Márquez (right forearm nerve irritation) threw a live batting practice and is expected to make a rehab start next week. Stammen said it had not been determined where that will be.

This article was updated to correct the timing on Musgrove’s throwing program.

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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 4:03 PM.