Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Padres fans and fans across the country.
The San Diego Padres made it through much of the 2026 season with bubble gum and duct tape holding their starting pitching staff together. Michael King and Walker Buehler have been the only two constants in the rotation while other starters like Randy Vasquez, Griffin Canning and German Marquez, who is no longer with the team, have been used as starters and have worked out of the bullpen as a result of their struggles on the mound. The one constant for the San Diego rotation has been inconsistency.
Padres general manager and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller tried to address the rotation at the trade deadline. He went out and got arguably two of the top starters on the market in Casey Mize from the Detroit Tigers and Robbie Ray from the San Francisco Giants. San Diego had to use some of what little capital it has left in the minor league system to make the additions, but the moves by Preller at the deadline were widely praised by MLB pundits and fans alike.
The additions of Mize and Ray could have been foreshadowing what was to come over the remaining months of the season. Starters Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta have each been working back from injury throughout the first half of the season. Musgrove has had a much slower rehab process recovering from Tommy John surgery following the 2024 season than was expected by much of the Friar Faithful. Pivetta went down early in the season and has slowly worked back to health and is pitching in various stages of the San Diego minor league system on rehab assignments.
Musgrove and Pivetta have each had setbacks in their processes and it was revealed on Wednesday that Musgrove had another setback with arm soreness following his last rehab start at Triple-A when the El Paso Chihuahuas were in Oklahoma City. Pivetta pitched for El Paso as well and looked good considering the last time he was on the mound in Lake Elsinore he walked off the mound suddenly and did not return to the game. It was revealed later he felt some discomfort, but it turned out to be inconsequential and he threw additional pitches in a bullpen session that same day.
King and Buehler were joined by Mize and Ray and the thought was Musgrove and Pivetta would be added to a potential six-man rotation or perhaps Buehler would be transitioned to a bullpen role. Based on the latest developments with Musgrove that may not happen and the Padres will have a rotation of King, Buehler, Mize, Ray and Pivetta. Vasquez, who had pitched better as of late before his latest outing against the Cincinnati Reds, could also make the claim he deserves to be in the rotation.
It may be a mute point depending on the health of Musgrove, but should he bounce back and have a minor setback before continuing his rehab, Gaslamp Ball wants to know who you think would have a greater impact on the team during the final 20-plus days of the season, Musgrove or Pivetta? Results of the Gaslamp Ball Reacts Survey poll will be published later in the week.
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