The San Diego Padres began the 2026 season with a thin rotation.

All-Star Joe Musgrove suffered a setback in his recovery from Tommy John surgery this spring. He started the season on the injured list and has yet to make his season debut.

While Musgrove's injury wasn't ideal, that opened the door for two veteran pitchers to earn their way onto the Opening Day roster. The rotation ultimately began with Michael King, Nick Pivetta, Randy Vásquez, Walker Buehler and Germán Márquez.

The unit lost Pivetta early in the season , and that put president of baseball operations A.J.…