SAN DIEGO -- It was only a fleeting moment in what has been a disappointing career so far, but one Matt Bush has spent the past 17 months working to recapture.

After three seasons of beating himself up over his struggles both on and off the field, Bush found a ray of hope in June 2007. Returning to the mound for the first time since his days at Mission Bay High after an attempt to mold him into a pro shortstop failed, Bush felt invigorated in ways he hadn't since the Padres selected him with the first overall pick in baseball's 2004 amateur draft.

The negativity was gone. The fastball was pumping. And suddenly an organization that viewed drafting him a mistake was pleased with his progress. There was even more reason for excitement once Bush faced live competition, as the right-hander struck out 16 batters and walked only two in 7 1/3 innings.

Just as quickly as the success arrived, however, Bush was dealt another round of disappointment that August when he received word that reconstructive elbow surgery was needed. The hope, the feeling that he was once again a ballplayer, vanished, replaced by the knowledge he would be sidelined for 12-18 months.

Now 17 months later, Bush is nearly all the way back. Last week, the 22-year-old threw off a bullpen mound at Petco Park, his first action since August 2007. He backed the effort up with two days of pain-free catch. It's all in an attempt to once again feel like "the man," a journey that has been difficult and humbling and a number of different emotions rolled into one.

"It was something that I've never come close to having to deal with," Bush said. "There were so many ups and downs and highs and lows that hit me. It was more mental than physical because of not knowing. I was thinking, 'I'm never going to be good again. I'm never going to be able to throw the ball like I want to.' Instead of having more positive thoughts, I had a little too many negatives, and that was hard to deal with."

Bush's difficulty was all about what he had regained during his time as a pitcher.

He wasn't focusing on the baseball world's belief he was a bust. The incidents off the field -- alleged vandalism of a Petco Park suite during a team-hosted party for his friends and family and a June 2004 arrest and resulting suspension -- were part of a past Bush said he's at peace with. He chalks it up to being a talented-but-immature 18-year-old who received a $3.15 million signing bonus and had no idea what was ahead of him.

The Padres, according to multiple front-office sources, are of the opinion Bush has learned from his mistakes and has been humbled by them. They hope his attitude carries over as he readjusts to life within the Padres' system.

By the time Bush underwent surgery on Aug. 27, 2007, all he hoped for was to salvage his career. And he wanted that feeling back, one he still recalls with vivid detail.

"My adrenaline was pumping and I felt like I was throwing the ball 100 miles per hour right off the bat," Bush said. "I struck a couple guys out. It was like the feeling of being back in high school again: You're the man. You can dominate again instead of hitting .220 and making 30-something errors a year. It's like, 'Now I'm on the success side,' and it was a whole lot (more fun). Half the time at shortstop I questioned myself. … It seemed like a weight off my back."

Almost immediately, Padres vice president and scouting director Grady Fuson noticed a difference between Matt Bush the shortstop and Matt Bush the pitcher. It wasn't just the fact that Bush was consistently hitting 97 mph on the radar gun, either. It was the way he was getting it done.

"He looked much more comfortable than he ever did as a player," Fuson said. "I think the shocking thing was how good his delivery looked. It had rhythm to it, timing, and the fastball was often in the strike zone. I think we could all tell this is probably what comes the most natural. As poorly as he played at shortstop, I think it was a breath of fresh air for him to realize 'I have this 95 mph fastball.' "

Then validation arrived from the outside.

While having an informal chat with then-Atlanta Braves general manager John Schuerholz, Padres general manager Kevin Towers said Schuerholz inquired about trading for Bush. The fact that the discussion occurred four months after Bush had undergone surgery and likely a year before he would return to the mound caught Towers' attention.

Earlier this winter, Towers elected to protect Bush on the team's 40-man roster instead of exposing him to December's Rule 5 draft. The decision means Bush is automatically invited to major league spring training next month. It also offered him the opportunity to continue his rehabilitation with the Padres' training staff at Petco Park this month.

According to Bush and the Padres, the rehab is going well. If he continues to progress, Bush could face live competition before the end of the spring.

"I feel great," Bush said. "Working out here is amazing. Healing (seems like) it's going two to three times faster here. It's wonderful. … I tell my mom and dad it's the one thing I will wake up nice and early for; just to go to the clubhouse and be around some guys and big leaguers, the training staff, the field. And knowing, too, that this is home and this is where I want to be."

Towers said the move to protect Bush was only natural. The Padres' GM said a major-league career could still be in Bush's future.

"Absolutely (he can)," Towers said. "That's why we added him to roster and didn't give up on him. Things didn't work out at shortstop, but he's not the first guy that's happened to. There (have) been a lot of guys, not as high profile, but he's blessed with a tremendous arm and great arm strength. The flashes and velocity we saw led us to believe he has a chance to make the big leagues as a pitcher."

For the time being, the Padres look for Bush, if healthy, to begin his 2009 season in Single-A Lake Elsinore. At the time of his injury, Bush was starting to work toward developing his changeup and curveball. But the club is uncertain how good his secondary pitches can be. Considering his lack of professional pitching experience, one front office source said Bush immediately projects as a relief pitcher because the team still doesn't know if he has the durability to be a starting pitcher.

But either option is fine with Bush if it can one day punch his ticket to the majors.

"Coming out of high school I didn't know anything," Bush said. "I thought I could be the next big-time superstar shortstop, or if I would have pitched I felt like I could be the next superstar pitcher. … I kind of relaxed with (the criticisms) in 2007. You can't help what people are going to think. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I try not to worry about it too much. I just know that I'm here playing, so I might as well make the best of it."

Padres note

The Chicago Cubs traded LHP Garrett Olson and INF Ronny Cedeno to the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday in a move that could finally signal an end to trade talks involving RHP Jake Peavy. The Padres were said to have interest in Olson and Cedeno, who could have provided the club with an additional glove at shortstop. The Padres have maintained that dialogue with the Cubs regarding Peavy has been minimal since the end of the winter meetings in Las Vegas last month. CEO Sandy Alderson said Wednesday night the prospect of Peavy starting the season with club is more and more likely. "I expect Jake will be with us on Opening Day," Alderson said. "Nothing has happened recently to change that view. The recent speculation about the Cubs was overblown and the trade they made (with Seattle) kind of shows that."

Contact staff writer Dan Hayes at dhayes@nctimes.com.