San Diego Padres pitcher Jhony Brito's last start was his best of 2026. In case you missed it — and you probably did — Brito threw six shutout innings on May 29 for Double-A San Antonio. He allowed one hit, no walks, and struck out four batters. He needed only 52 pitches to complete the outing.In April 2025, Brito had surgery to place an internal brace on the UCL of his right elbow and repair a tear in his flexor tendon. The 28-year-old right-hander missed all of last season and has made five minor league starts in 2026. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres' front office "believes Brito needs more time to build up and maintain his stamina before calling him up to start or serve as a long man out of the bullpen," but noted that he could be called up "at some point this month."Brito was acquired in the trade that brought Michael King, Randy Vásquez, Kyle Higashioka and Drew Thorpe to the Padres for Juan Soto and Trent Grisham. His time in San Diego has been less meaningful than perhaps anyone involved in the deal; even Thorpe was flipped to the Chicago White Sox in the Dylan Cease trade.In 2024, Brito went 1-2 with a 4.12 ERA in 26 games out of the Padres' bullpen. But he also missed time at the end of the season with an elbow strain. The severity of his 2025 surgery suggests the problem might have been affecting him even before his final game on the Padres' active roster.Brito went 9-7 with a 4.28 ERA as a rookie with the Yankees in 2023, starting 13 of his 25 games. Getting Brito to his pre-injury form — even his pre-2024 form — could be a major source of relief for a Padres pitching staff that's dealt with injuries all season.German Marquez, Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta have combined to throw 45.2 innings in 10 starts this year. They were expected to comprise three-fifths of the Padres' rotation. Musgrove only recently was cleared to play catch after his elbow had a setback in spring training.Brito's history suggests he could be a better starting rotation option than Griffin Canning (0-4, 7.16 ERA) or Walker Buehler (3-3, 4.88) at some point in 2026. For now, he's no worse than a candidate to join the Padres' bullpen soon.Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X/Twitter for the latest news.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow