Padres' Joe Musgrove: Rehab slowed by recovery issues
Rotowire
The Padres are pausing Musgrove's (elbow) rehab assignment because he's having issues recovering between starts, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Musgrove feels fine during his starts and has pitched well on his rehab assignment, most recently tossing five innings of one-run ball in his last outing. However, he's felt fatigued in between outings, specifically in the area of his surgically repaired right elbow. Musgrove had been slated to make a fifth rehab start this week, but it's now unclear when he will take the ball next. The Padres remain hopeful that Musgrove will be able to pitch for them before the end of the regular season, but it's far from guaranteed. The 33-year-old has not thrown a pitch in the majors since the 2024 postseason.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Likely to require one more rehab start
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Musgrove (elbow) is expected to make one final minor-league rehab start this week before returning from the 60-day injured list, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Musgrove made the fourth start of his rehab assignment this past Thursday for Triple-A El Paso, tossing 60 pitches over five innings and striking out three batters while allowing one run on five hits and no walks. Overall, the right-hander owns a 4.60 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 13:3 K:BB in 15.2 innings between three starts with El Paso and one with Single-A Lake Elsinore. Though he looks like he'll require one more tune-up outing in the minors, Musgrove should soon be poised to make his first appearance for the Padres since Sept. 26, 2024. He missed all of the 2025 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery and has been on the shelf throughout 2026 after experiencing a setback with his surgically repaired elbow following an exhibition game back in March.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Making next rehab start Thursday
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Musgrove (elbow) will make his next rehab start Thursday at Triple-A El Paso, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
As anticipated, Musgrove will need to make another start in the minors before being activated from the 60-day injured list. He fired 70 pitches during his previous rehab outing Aug. 14, so he'll presumably build on that count Thursday in what should be his final appearance on the farm. If all goes according to plan, he'll be lined up to make his first big-league appearance since 2024 during the first week of September.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Likely to need another rehab start
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Padres manager Craig Stammen said that Musgrove (elbow) will throw a bullpen session this weekend before likely making a final minor-league rehab start during the upcoming week, 97.3 The Fan San Diego reports.
Musgrove most recently made his third rehab start Aug. 14 with Triple-A El Paso, striking out five while allowing five earned runs on nine hits and one walk. Though Musgrove built up to 70 pitches in that outing and looked like he might have been ready to return from the 60-day injured list at some point this week to make his 2026 Padres debut, Stammen revealed that the right-hander "had a little back issue pop up" during a recent workout. Fortunately for Musgrove, the back issue isn't viewed as a major concern, and he hasn't incurred any setbacks with his surgically repaired elbow since beginning his rehab assignment Aug. 4. Assuming his back responds well to the bullpen session, Musgrove should be in line for a sizable workload in his upcoming minor-league appearance before joining the San Diego rotation immediately thereafter for what would be his first big-league outing since Sept. 26, 2024.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Reaches 70 pitches in rehab start
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Musgrove (elbow) allowed five earned runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out five across 4.2 innings Friday in his rehab start with Triple-A El Paso.
Though he was knocked around in the third start of his rehab assignment, Musgrove built up to 70 pitches and 95.2 mph with his fastball. According to MLB.com, Padres manager Craig Stammen said Musgrove was "very positive" about how he felt during Friday's outing, but a decision has yet to be made regarding whether he'll require another rehab start or return from the 60-day injured list to make his first big-league appearance since Sept. 26, 2024. If Musgrove ends up entering the rotation during the Padres' upcoming weekend series with the Twins, he would likely be operating with a limited pitch count.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Ready to kick off rehab assignment
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Musgrove (elbow) is slated to make a rehab appearance for Single-A Lake Elsinore on Tuesday.
After undergoing Tommy John surgery in October 2024 and then suffering a setback in the spring when he experienced inflammation in his right elbow, Musgrove finally appears to be closing in on making his first appearance for the Padres in just under two years. Along with Musgrove, Nick Pivetta (forearm) -- who has been on the shelf since April 14 -- is also scheduled to kick off his rehab assignment Tuesday with Lake Elsinore. Given the length of his absence, Musgrove is expected to need most of his 30-day rehab window to get fully stretched out for a spot in the San Diego rotation, so he may not be cleared to return from the 60-day injured list until late August or early September.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Facing live hitters
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Musgrove (elbow) threw 23 pitches in live batting practice Friday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Friday's session was shorter than the 30-to-40-pitch bullpen session he logged last Friday, but it still marks a significant step forward, as it's the first time he's faced live hitters since spring training. He's scheduled to throw against hitters again sometime next week and will likely do so a few more times before beginning an extended rehab assignment.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Completes mound session
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Padres manager Craig Stammen said that Musgrove (elbow) threw approximately 30-to-40 pitches in a two-inning simulated bullpen session Friday at the organization's complex in Arizona, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Stammen said Musgrove came out of the session feeling healthy, but the veteran right-hander still has several checkpoints to hit in the rehab process before getting cleared to make his 2026 debut. Musgrove missed the entire 2025 season while recovering from the Tommy John surgery that he underwent the previous October, then dealt with cartilage issues this spring that have continued to keep him on the shelf throughout the campaign. After months of limited progress, Musgrove seems to have turned a corner in his recovery, but he'll likely need at least another month to finish out his throwing progression and complete an extended rehab assignment before making his return from the 60-day injured list.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Resumes playing catch
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Musgrove (elbow) started playing catch in late May, per MLB.com.
After making one appearance during spring training in early March, Musgrove experienced inflammation in his surgically repaired right elbow. He continued to play catch but was then shut down from even that amount of throwing. Musgrove has since been cleared to resume light throwing, but he doesn't appear to be anywhere near game action. He isn't expected to be ready to join the Padres until after the All-Star break.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: May soon begin throwing
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Musgrove (elbow) is slated to begin a throwing program soon and is targeting a return after the All-Star break, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.
Early in spring training, there was hope that Musgrove would be ready for the beginning of the campaign, as he appeared to be in the final stages of his rehab from Tommy John surgery. However, the right-handed hurler didn't recover well after throwing two innings in an exhibition contest in early March, and that ended up being his only game action of the spring. Musgrove has essentially been shut down since, so he'll likely need a lengthy ramp-up when he does ultimately begin throwing again. Fantasy managers who have hung on to Musgrove -- presumably in an IL slot -- should note that he isn't expecting to return before the All-Star break when weighing whether to continue rostering him.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Moved to 60-day IL
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The Padres transferred Musgrove (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Thursday.
The Padres added Luis Campusano to the 10-day injured list and selected Rodolfo Duran from Triple-A El Paso on Thursday as part of corresponding moves. Musgrove has been progressing slowly in his attempt to return from the Tommy John surgery he had in late 2024.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Not yet cleared for mound work
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Musgrove (elbow) remains limited to playing catch during his throwing program and hasn't yet been cleared for bullpen sessions, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Musgrove entered spring training with no limitations after completing his recovery from October 2024 Tommy John surgery, but he pitched in just one exhibition game before experiencing renewed soreness in his surgically repaired elbow. Though the fact that Musgrove hasn't been shut down from throwing since suffering his setback can be taken as an encouraging sign, the veteran right-hander is progressing slowly and is without an official timeline to make his season debut. At the very least, Musgrove will remain on the shelf through the end of April, and he'll have several checkpoints to hit in the recovery process before a potential return date comes into focus.
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Padres' Joe Musgrove: Lacks timeline for return
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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: 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: 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.
