Musgrove (elbow) said Thursday that he has resuemd playing catch, but he doesn't have a definitive timeline to return from the 15-day injured list, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union Tribune reports.
Musgrove threw 60 pitches in an exhibition game against Team Great Britain on March 4, but he was subsequently pulled back from throwing and hasn't tossed from a mound since. Following the setback, the right-hander underwent a precautionary MRI, but the imaging didn't show any new concerns. Considering that he hasn't pitched in a big-league game since undergoing Tommy John surgery in October of 2024, Musgrove will almost certainly need to clear multiple hurdles -- including a resumption of bullpen sessions, throwing to live hitters and taking part in a minor-league rehab stint -- before San Diego activates him off the IL. Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller suggested this week that Musgrove's target date to make his season debut remains hazy, but the Padres are still measuring the veteran hurler's timeline in terms of weeks rather than months.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Begins season on IL
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San Diego placed Musgrove (elbow) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday.
After undergoing Tommy John surgery in October 2024, Musgrove missed the entire 2025 season but received full clearance ahead of spring training. However, after Musgrove experienced inflammation in his surgically repaired elbow following an exhibition versus Team Great Britain on March 4, the Padres have elected to tread carefully with the veteran righty. Musgrove has remained shut down from throwing for just over two weeks, but the San Diego brass has continued to downplay concern about his elbow issue, noting that some speed bumps were expected coming off the major surgery. While Musgrove is on the shelf, the Padres will turn to Walker Buehler to fill out their rotation.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Likely to open season on IL
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Manager Craig Stammen announced Monday that Musgrove (elbow) is expected to open the season on the 15-day injured list, Noah Camras of SI.com reports.
Musgrove is working his way back from Tommy John surgery and has experienced a setback in his recovery after he threw 60 pitches in an exhibition against Team Great Britain two weeks ago. After missing the entirety of the 2025 campaign, Musgrove's return to the mound will have to wait. With Musgrove set to open the season on the IL, Walker Buehler is expected to begin the season in San Diego's rotation.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Uncertain for Opening Day
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Musgrove (elbow) has had his workload eased back after pitching against Team Great Britain on March 4, and it's uncertain if he'll be ramped up in time for Opening Day, per MLB.com.
Musgrove's March 4 outing appeared to go well, as he sat at 94-95 mph with his fastball and threw 60 pitches. However, the team has since decided to slow-play the veteran hurler, who underwent Tommy John surgery in October of 2024 and missed all of last season. "Yeah I think he's day-to-day right now. We knew this was how it was gonna be with him coming back from injury -- it wasn't just gonna be a straight shot all the way through," manager Craig Stammen said of Musgrove on Tuesday, per Valentina Martinez of SI.com. "So giving him the ample amount of rest to get him a little bit of a breather and then we'll get him back out there." On Musgrove's status for Opening Day, Stammen added, "We'll see. We'll evaluate him every single day and then make a decision after that." Should Musgrove have to miss time early in the season, German Marquez, Walker Buehler and Kyle Hart, among others, are candidates to fill his spot in the rotation.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Shows good velocity in exhibition
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Musgrove completed two innings in an exhibition game against Team Great Britain on Wednesday, allowing one run on five hits and one walk while striking out three batters.
Musgrove's outing was his first game action since he underwent Tommy John surgery in October of 2024. The veteran hurler had a rough beginning, giving up a run on three singles and a walk while retiring just one batter before being pulled, but a couple of the hits came on rough defensive plays and -- more importantly -- Musgrove sat at 94-95 mph on his fastball, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. Under exhibition rules, the right-hander returned for the second frame and retired three of the four batters he faced and then set down two of three hitters in the third inning before exiting for good. Altogether, Musgrove threw a hearty 60 pitches (36 strikes), which is certainly promising for a pitcher coming off such a long absence. He's slated to be a key part of San Diego's rotation in 2026 and isn't expected to have strict workload limitations.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Starting exhibition game Wednesday
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Musgrove (elbow) will start Wednesday's exhibition game against Team Great Britain, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Musgrove will be making his first appearance in a game setting since his October 2024 Tommy John surgery. The veteran right-hander has been throwing off the mound throughout Padres camp, most recently tossing three innings in a simulated game last week. Musgrove was sidelined for the entirety of the 2025 campaign, but he will not have strict workload limitations in 2026.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Sharp in simulated game
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Musgrove (elbow) touched 95 mph with his fastball in a three-inning simulated game Thursday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Working his way back from Tommy John surgery, Musgrove threw 36 pitches in the outing and was pleased with how things went, saying afterward that, "I'm coming out of this feeling the best I have felt." The veteran righty said that things are "kind of all day-to-day" with his rehab based on how he feels, but he expects to make his first Cactus League start next week. Musgrove missed all of the 2025 season but will not have a strict workload limit in 2026, with Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla saying their approach with the 33-year-old is, "full-go but watch him."
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Full go in Padres camp
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Musgrove (elbow) is considered a full participant in Padres camp but will have his workload watched early in the season after missing the entirety of the 2025 campaign, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Musgrove is coming back from Tommy John surgery but will not have a strict innings limit in 2026 in his age-33 season. The Padres will be sensible about how hard they push him early on, however, and an initial six-man rotation is one avenue they're considering. Musgrove boasts a 3.20 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 25.5 percent strikeout rate and 6.1 percent walk rate in his four seasons with the Padres.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: No strict innings cap in 2026
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Padres manager Craig Stammen said Tuesday on Foul Territory that Musgrove (elbow) will not have a strict innings limit in 2026.
Musgrove missed the entire 2025 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery but has been throwing bullpen sessions since August. Stammen noted that while the Padres will keep a close eye on how Musgrove is feeling after each start, the team will take the righty "as far as he's willing to go" with his workload. After topping 180 innings in 2021 and 2022, Musgrove threw 97.1 innings in 2023 and 99.2 innings in 2024. It would be a big ask for the 33-year-old to get back to the 180-inning plateau in 2026, but it sounds like the Padres would allow him to get to that level as long as he feels good.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Completes 'up-down' bullpen session
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Musgrove (elbow) threw an "up-down" bullpen session at Citi Field on Tuesday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Musgrove essentially completed a two-inning simulated game, albeit without facing hitters. He threw approximately 15 pitches, then rested for a bit before tossing another 15 pitches. The right-hander -- who underwent Tommy John surgery Oct. 11, 2024 -- remains hopeful that he'll be able to contribute out of the San Diego bullpen in the playoffs, though he's not on pace to be ready to go for the wild-card round. With that in mind, the Padres may need to make a deep postseason run for Musgrove to achieve his goal, and even in that scenario, he may not be trusted with pitching high-leverage innings coming off a major injury. The Padres' main focus remains in ensuring that Musgrove enters spring training at full health and is able to break camp as a member of the Opening Day rotation.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Holding out hope for 2025 return
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Musgrove (elbow) has continued to throw regular bullpen sessions since early August and remains hopeful to pitch for the Padres as a reliever during the postseason if San Diego makes a deep playoff run, MLB.com reports.
Musgrove, who has been on the shelf all season while completing his recovery from Oct. 11, 2024 Tommy John surgery, had previously held the goal of pitching in a rehab game before the end of the minor-league season, but he's not far along in his throwing program for that to be a reality. A return during the postseason may not be realistic either, given that he has yet to resume facing hitters at this point in his rehab. On a positive note, Musgrove seems to have avoided any setbacks up to this point in the recovery process, so he should be ready to enter spring training with few restrictions, if any.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Progresses to bullpen session
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Musgrove (elbow) threw 20 pitches (all fastballs) in a bullpen session Saturday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Musgrove had previously thrown off a mound, but that consisted simply of tossing to a standing catcher. Sanders deemed Musgrove's activity Saturday as his "first official bullpen session" since the veteran hurler underwent Tommy John surgery last October. Musgrove is scheduled to throw a bullpen every Tuesday and Saturday moving forward, and he could begin introducing his secondary pitches after about eight sessions. Musgrove stated Saturday that his goal is to get into at least one minor-league rehab game before the end of the campaign, saying, "I want one inning ... I don't care if it's one hitter. I just want to be able to say I contributed in some aspect on the field." Triple-A El Paso -- the Padres' affiliate that goes the longest -- ends its regular season Sept. 21, so for Musgrove to accomplish his goal he may need to be allowed to pitch in a minor-league playoff game (if El Paso qualifies) or settle for an appearance in the fall instructional league in Arizona.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Pushes throwing distance to 120 feet
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Musgrove (elbow) has extended his throwing distance while playing catch to 120 feet, per MLB.com.
Musgrove began playing catch in early April and has gradually extended his throwing distance since then. The veteran hurler also played catch off the mound Wednesday, though it wasn't a standard throwing session. Musgrove continues to progress from the Tommy John surgery he underwent last October, but he's not expected to be ready to pitch in games again until 2026.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Extends throwing distance
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Musgrove (elbow) progressed to throwing from 105 feet early in the week, per MLB.com.
Musgrove continues to make steady progress in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. The veteran hurler has been playing catch three times a week since early April and has been traveling with the Padres. Musgrove isn't expected to pitch this season, but he should be good to go next spring.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Set to increase throwing distance
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Musgrove (elbow) is expected to begin throwing from 90 feet during the upcoming week, per MLB.com.
Musgrove continues to rehab from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in October. The veteran hurler has been traveling with San Diego and playing catch three times per week. Musgrove has thrown up to 75 feet so far, so the plan for him to move up to 90 feet represents a slight increase. The right-hander isn't likely to be able to pitch in games until next season.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Cleared for light throwing
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Musgrove (elbow) played catch Monday for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Musgrove was encouraged by Monday's throwing session, citing all of the rehab he's done in the last six months to simply make it to this point. The team doesn't expect him to make his return during the 2025 campaign, but if all continues to go as planned, he should be in a great spot to be ready for the beginning of 2026.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Officially placed on IL
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The Padres placed Musgrove (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.
Musgrove will miss the entire 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in October, so the Padres will strip him of his spot on the 40-man roster and give it to camp standout Gavin Sheets. Musgrove has been working out using plyometric balls this spring, but he isn't expected to begin a proper throwing program until around midseason.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Could resume throwing at midseason
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Musgrove (elbow) will work out with plyometric balls during spring training but isn't expected to start a throwing program until around midseason, per MLB.com.
Musgrove is recovering from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in October. While he'll be with the team and do some non-throwing workouts during spring camp, the fact that the veteran right-hander won't begin throwing until midseason emphasizes how far away he is from returning to game action. He will miss the 2025 season but could be a full-go for 2026 spring training.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Undergoes TJ surgery
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Musgrove underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Friday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.
Following an early exit from his appearance in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series on Oct. 2 due to an elbow injury, an MRI revealed that Musgrove would need to undergo Tommy John surgery before returning to the mound. The timing of his procedure gives him an outside chance to pitch toward the very end of next season, but the 31-year-old righty will most likely be sidelined until 2026.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Needs Tommy John surgery
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General manager A.J. Preller said Friday that Musgrove (elbow) has a UCL injury in his right elbow and will require Tommy John surgery, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.
Musgrove underwent an MRI on his right elbow Thursday after injuring it during Wednesday's wild-card start against Atlanta. The MRI revealed a UCL injury, and the 31-year-old right-hander will have to undergo Tommy John surgery, which will keep him out of action through the 2024 postseason and most, if not all, of 2025. With Musgrove out for the rest of the playoffs, Martin Perez -- who did not pitch in the wild-card series -- is the next man up in the Padres' rotation behind Dylan Cease, Michael King and Yu Darvish.
