Sep 1, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Jason Adam (40) is taken away in a cart after being injured during the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Padres' Jason Adam Had Message for AJ Preller After Season-Ending Injury

Originally posted on San Diego Padres on SI
By Gabe Smallson | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The San Diego Padres suffered their 62nd loss of the season on Monday night, but in a brutal turn of events, lost All-Star reliever Jason Adam indefinitely after he ruptured a left quadriceps tendon in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Adam was in apparent pain and carted off the field, but spoke after the game with a message he had for president of baseball operations A.J. Preller.

“I told A.J. I’m really glad you went out and got Mason [Miller],” Adam said.

Miller is a fellow All-Star reliever who has tossed a microscopic 1.64 ERA for the Padres since being acquired at the deadline. The reliever was traded for top prospect Leo De Vries and three other pitching prospects.

Miller was added to an already lethal Padres bullpen that Adam was a key piece of this season, posting a 1.93 ERA this season across 65.1 innings of work.

Adam knows how much this injury must sting to his team, but he was confident that the rest of the bullpen will hold it down in his absence, noting their excellence this season.

“This bullpen is so deep,” Adam said. “Of all the bullpens in the league to not need me, it’s this one. So I’m excited to cheer those guys on.”

As for the actual injury, Adam detailed how quickly he knew it could be something severe.

“I felt the pop right away,” Adam said. “Felt like the quad kind of rolled up. So I kind of knew it wasn’t good.”

The prognosis, according to Adam, will likely keep him out through spring training, and perhaps for the beginning of 2026.

“Sounds like six to nine months," Adam said.

The Padres bullpen is without a doubt the best in baseball, with their relief pitching's wins above average ranked at 6.2. The second place team is the Houston Astros, grading out at just 2.4.

Adam has one of the best swing-and-miss rates in baseball, doing so 33.3 percent of the time, which is good for the 94th percentile in baseball. He also gets batters to chase his offerings outside of the strike zone 32.1 percent of the time, good for the 88th percentile.

Without him, the Padres will need the other All-Stars in their bullpen to step up.