This morning, San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen made it as close to official as possible that starting pitcher Joe Musgrove will begin the regular season on the injured list. To be specific, the words he used were “most likely,” and, although not an absolute verdict, they’re not comforting to the Friar Faithful.
The Padres rotation plans will shift accordingly, probably looking something like this come Opening Day:
- Nick Pivetta
- Michael King
- Randy Vásquez
- Germán Márquez
- Walker Buehler
But the more important question is when he’ll return. Musgrove has stated multiple
times that his desire is to be healthy for October. Pitching in the postseason has always been his goal, but the Padres need him if they’re going to get there at all.
With Musgrove in the rotation, the Friars have a formidable front half of their pitching staff. Without him it gets a whole lot shakier.
It was always apparent that he would be ramped up into the regular season but starting on the injured list isn’t a great place to be. It’s unfortunate but not unforeseen for the pitching staff, as Musgrove struggled to rehab after pitching against Great Britain in a WBC exhibition game on March 4.
If he can continue to rehab and work on his recovery process, he could emerge mid-season as a viable starter. Until then, he’ll have to be used sparingly.
A rocky career in San Diego
Musgrove’s tenure with the Padres has been marred by injury almost every year. Despite being highly durable from 2021-22 (and throwing the first no-hitter in San Diego history), the downturn since has been rough. He hasn’t made 20-plus starts since 2022.
If Musgrove can at least show flashes of dominance this season for San Diego, it’ll be enough. But suddenly the Padres are banking on a lot of their bargain hunting to turn out well for them. If it doesn’t, the rotation will be caught between a rock and a hard place fast, and who knows what moves General Manager A.J. Preller might make then.
It’s possible that he orchestrates a last-minute trade for starting depth or signs a few more reclamation projects like Buehler and Griffin Canning. Whatever the case may be, Musgrove starting on the IL brings a lot of attention back to the San Diego pitching staff.
Musgrove needs to come back healthy and consistent when he does. The on-again, off-again relationship he’s had with the IL only hurts the Friars’ chances more and more. Until he can consistently pitch and recover from his starts he needs to stay on the rehab track.
But the worries from earlier this year about the starting rotation are now renewed, and faith in San Diego starters is low. If they can beat those low expectations, they’ll claw their way into contention this year. Otherwise, the Padres might be relegated to baseball purgatory: mediocrity.
