Veteran pitcher Joe Musgrove has been on a long road to recovery after being removed early from an NL Wild Card game in 2024. What started as elbow tightness was diagnosed as a torn UCL two days later. Now, nearly 24 months after the injury, the San Diego Padres have added Musgrove to the Wild Card roster.
The nine-year MLB veteran has been facing live batters in recent weeks and has seen his fastball push 97 mph. Musgrove attempted to return earlier in the season but saw multiple setbacks in his recovery. As recently as this month, Musgrove reported arm fatigue, and there was doubt that he would be able to return at all this season.
For this year, at least, Musgrove will be used as a weapon out of the Padres bullpen as he builds his arm back up. The risk with rostering Musgrove is that the Padres are not sure how he will react to taking on a steady workload, and he likely will not be able to pitch in back-to-back games. The Padres left Randy Vasquez, Wandy Peralta, and Griffin Canning off the roster in favor of Musgrove.
Instead, the Padres are handing the ball to Michael King in Game 1 on Tuesday, with Nick Pivetta and Robbie Ray the likely candidates for Games 2 and 3.
Musgrove has been a steady contributor for the Padres after joining the team in 2021. He has the Padres’ first no-hitter in franchise history, and in 98 games with the team, he has compiled a 37-24 record with a 3.20 ERA and 1.108 WHIP.
When Musgrove is called upon out of the Padres’ bullpen, it will be an emotional moment at Petco Park. As surprising as his inclusion was on the roster, Musgrove knows he has the support of the Padres. When asked about Musgrove being added to the roster, Padres general manager A.J. Preller had this to say:
“You always bet on Joe Musgrove in terms of the person, and the stuff has been good. His opportunity to go and compete in a big spot; you trust him.”
The Padres open their best-of-three NL Wild Card series against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday evening at Petco Park.
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