Nick Pivetta throws 5 shutout innings in return from injured list as Padres beat Nationals 3-2

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Nick Pivetta pitched five shutout innings in his return from a long stay on the injured list and the San Diego Padres beat the skidding Washington Nationals 3-2 on Monday to keep pace in the National League playoff race.

Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. both finished with three hits for the Padres, who remained a half-game behind Arizona for the final NL wild card. The Diamondbacks won 5-4 in 10 innings at Kansas City.

Merrill had two RBI singles that drove in Manny Machado. Tatis scored on Machado's single in the third.

Pivetta (2-2) allowed two hits in his fifth start this season and first win since April 1. He was placed on the 15-day injured list April 14 with right elbow inflammation and transferred to the 60-day IL on June 2. The right-hander struck out two and walked none while throwing 63 pitches, 39 for strikes.

Bradgley Rodriguez and Adrian Morejon each worked a hitless inning before Mason Miller struck out two in a scoreless ninth for his 34th save.

Nationals starter Jake Irvin (2-9) went 5 2/3 innings, giving up up three runs and eight hits. He is 0-5 in his past eight starts.

Dylan Crews hit a two-run homer for Washington, which has lost five straight games.

San Diego, which took two of three against the New York Yankees at home last weekend, kept the momentum going Monday with timely hitting.

The Padres scored in the first when Merrill hit a sharp single to right field to drive in Machado, who doubled.

San Diego added two runs in the third for a 3-0 lead. Machado drove in Tatis from second with a single, and Merrill followed with a single to drive in Tatis.

Crews connected in the sixth off reliever Kyle Hart.

Padres RHP Casey Mize (5-9, 3.64 ERA) pitches Tuesday night in the middle game of the series. Washington had not announced a scheduled starter.

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San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. runs home to score on Manny Machado's RBI single in the third inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Karl Anderson)

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jake Irvin works against a San Diego Padres batter in the first inning of a baseball game Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Karl Anderson)

San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr., right, scores on Manny Machado's RBI single in the third inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Karl Anderson)

San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr., right, celebrates with teammate Jackson Merrill, left, after scoring on Manny Machado's RBI single in the third inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Karl Anderson)

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Nick Pivetta works against a Washington Nationals batter in the second inning of a baseball game Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Karl Anderson)

NEW YORK (AP) — After missing more than three months, Aaron Judge is ready to return to the New York Yankees.

The three-time MVP was reinstated from the 60-day injured list Monday night, an off day for the Yankees. They open a three-game series at home Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies.

Judge hasn't played since May 31 because of a broken right rib, but the slugger traveled with the Yankees on their recent trip to the West Coast. He took batting practice on the field multiple times last weekend in San Diego and ran the bases as he worked toward his return.

The 34-year-old outfielder will rejoin New York's active roster without going on a minor league rehab assignment first. Throughout his absence, Judge said he wouldn't need a stint in the minors to get ready.

“If I tell them I’m ready to go play, I think we’re ready to go play,” Judge said on Aug. 27. “I’m not a pitcher. I’m a position player. I can get my reps down here in the cage. I’m in every game. I’m sitting there in the dugout watching every game, feeling the environment, feeling the energy, so I don’t think there’s going to be much of a difference.”

With 19 games remaining in the regular season, the Yankees (81-62) trail first-place Tampa Bay by four games in the AL East. They are two games ahead of rival Boston (80-65) for the top American League wild card and hold a potential tiebreaker between the teams after winning the season series.

The higher seed plays at home throughout every best-of-three Wild Card Series.

New York was 36-23 after Judge last played on May 31 and went 45-39 in the 84 games he missed since.

The offense, however, was obviously affected. The Yankees batted .243 with 86 homers in 59 games through May 31 but hit only .227 with 107 homers in 84 games while Judge was out.

Their batting average during that stretch ranked 29th among the 30 major league teams, ahead of only Seattle (.225).

New York had a .770 OPS through May 31, but it was .681 in his absence.

Judge is hitting .248 with 17 homers and 38 RBIs. He was initially injured attempting to avoid second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. on a diving catch in Houston on April 26 and batted .263 with seven homers and 20 RBIs in 31 games before being sidelined.

The captain's only homer in the final 18 games before he went on the injured list was a game-ending, two-run shot to beat Tampa Bay 2-0 on May 24 that snapped an 11-game drought without an RBI, the longest of his career.

Judge won a batting title last season when he hit a career-high .331 with 53 homers and 114 RBIs in 152 games. He missed 10 games from July 26 to Aug. 4 with a flexor strain in his right elbow that he sustained on a throw to home plate July 22 in Toronto. He underwent a plasma-rich platelet injection and did not require offseason surgery.

Judge skipped a rehab assignment in 2023 when he missed 42 games with a fractured right big toe after crashing into the right-field fence at Dodger Stadium. In 2019, he appeared in five minor league games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre when he missed two months with a strained left oblique.

To make room on the 40-man roster for Judge, right-hander Chase Hampton was designated for assignment Monday night.

New York optioned right-hander Elmer Rodríguez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after Sunday's loss in San Diego.

This story has been corrected to show Judge is 34 years old, not 35.

AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge, right, gives autographs to fans before a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Monday}, Aug. 31, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge talks to third base/outfield coach Luis Rojas before a baseball game against the Houston Astros Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' Ben Rice, left, Spencer Jones, center, and Aaron Judge, right, lean on the dugout rail in the first inning during a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge smiles towards fans during a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)