Latest Joe Musgrove Update is Concerning for Padres

The San Diego Padres were expecting to get right-hander Joe Musgrove back into the starting rotation all offseason, and much of the roster constructio was built around that notion.

But Musgrove suffered a setback in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, which kept him out for the entire 2025 season.

The veteran right-hander has been trying to work his way back to the mound, but each time something looks like it's trending upward, another update comes along. Musgrove doesn't seem to be close to returning, as he has not started throwing off a mound yet.

The team released a new update on the veteran's road to recovery, per Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune. It doesn't sound like any progress is imminent: “Continuing active rest for the next several weeks.” According to Acee: "Essentially, this means they are conditioning, getting treatment and not throwing."

San Diego has said that they do expect Musgrove to return at some point this season, but it seems to be taking longer than anyone hoped. Now the updated timeline could be after the All-Star break, assuming that his rehab continues to go well.

The good news on the Musgrove front is that after imaging and consultations from multiple doctors, the graft from his surgery remains intact. This can at least give the Padres some peace of mind, and the team will remain patient in their approach to his return.

Due to his injury history, both the Padres and Musgrove will take their time to allow him to fully heal upon his return. The last thing that either side wants is for this issue to linger once he does come back, so not rushing him will be key.

Musgrove first realized something was wrong when he felt some discomfort in his elbow after throwing a breaking ball during spring training. The veteran tried to push through the issue, but eventually decided to take a step back to deal with the injury.

The Padres were expecting Musgrove to be one of the frontline starters for this team, so his setback was unfortunate. San Diego has seen multiple starting pitchers deal with injuries this season, including Nick Pivetta and Germán Márquez.

However, others have stepped up for this team, including Michael King and Randy Vásquez. San Diego just got Griffin Canning back from an Achilles injury, and Lucas Giolito was recently signed out of free agency.

So if Musgrove can return at some point this season, the overall depth of the Padres could be very strong. But for now, all the veteran can do is get his body right to help this team win games in the stretch run of the season.

The last time he pitched, Musgrove made 19 starts for San Diego in 2024, posting an ERA of 3.88. His presence in the rotation has been massive for this team, and the hope is that he can return back to full health sooner rather than later.

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