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San Diego Padres starter Joe Musgrove will return to the mound for the first time since 2024 when the Padres open their 2026 season with a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers at Petco Park in March. The San Diego native missed all last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Although he remained with the team and was a presence in the clubhouse there was no substitute for in-game reps facing live batters at the MLB level and because of that expectations for Musgrove for the coming year are tempered.
He is not just trying to bounce back from a missed season; Musgrove is also trying to improve on results from 2023 and 2024. He made 17 starts and 19 starts in back-to-back seasons. Despite throwing less than 100 innings in 2023 and 2024 there are positive stats from those seasons. Musgrove finished 10-3 in 2023 and finished with 11 quality starts and a 3.05 ERA. In 2024 he finished 6-5 with 10 quality starts and a 3.88 ERA.
The San Diego rotation enters a new season missing Dylan Cease, who left via free agency and signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. Despite a poor win/loss record, Cease gobbled up innings and piled up strikeouts last year. He threw 168 innings and recorded 215 strikeouts for the Padres in 2025. Nick Pivetta was the only pitcher in the San Diego rotation to throw more innings with 181.2 innings pitched with 190 strikeouts and the next closest to Cease was Randy Vasquez 133.2 innings pitched with 78 strikeouts.
Gaslamp Ball asked the Friar Faithful if Musgrove or Jackson Merrill, who had a down year due to multiple injuries, needed to have the better season foe the Padres to be successful and just over half of those who voted believe that Musgrove needs to have the better season.
Of course, Musgrove and Merrill will both have to have success if the Padres are going to compete in the National League West and in the NL playoff race. After looking at the decreased numbers for Musgrove in 2023 and 2024 and considering the missed season in 2025, a full season from the right-hander, like 2021 and 2022 when he threw 181.1 and 181 innings respectively, could make a greater impact and keep San Diego in contention.
