Padres Announce Unfortunate Joe Musgrove News Ahead of Cardinals Game

The procedural move means Musgrove will not pitch before May 24.

Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove (44) in the dugout during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Peoria Sports Complex on Feb. 23, 2026 | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

San Diego Padres right-handed pitcher Joe Musgrove was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on Thursday. The procedural move means that Musgrove cannot be activated before May 24.

According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, it's a distinction without a difference. Musgrove was not going to pitch for the Padres any sooner, even if catcher Rodolfo Duran hadn't taken his place on the 40-man roster.

Procedural move with Musgrove.
The 60 days is retroactive to when he was placed on 15-day IL before season. He wasn’t coming back sooner than that anyway. https://t.co/gtqOMxpAx1

— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) May 7, 2026

The roster move was necessary after catcher Luis Campusano was diagnosed with a fractured left toe. Duran, whom the Padres signed to a minor league contract last year but never promoted to the 40-man roster, will form a catching tandem with Freddy Fermin while Campusano is out.

Musgrove underwent Tommy John surgery in October 2024. He was hopeful to return early in the 2026 season, but experienced a setback after making one exhibition start in spring training.

We have selected C Rodolfo Durán from Triple-A El Paso, placed C Luis Campusano on the 10-day IL (left toe fracture) and transferred RHP Joe Musgrove to the 60-day IL.

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) May 7, 2026

Since then, Musgrove has played catch but has yet to throw off a mound.

Musgrove, 33, went 6-5 with a 3.88 ERA in 19 starts in 2024 before injuring his elbow.

The Padres signed Musgrove to a five-year, $100 million contract extension in August 2022. He'll earn $20 million this year and next, before he's eligible for free agency. It's become increasingly unclear how much he'll actually pitch in the meantime.

Earlier this week, the Padres announced Musgrove would be “continuing active rest for the next several weeks.”

According to Acee, that meant Musgrove would be focused on conditioning and receiving treatment in lieu of ramping up his throwing program. The last time he spoke, in mid-April, he said his elbow was "just not cooperating" amid his recovery.

"We’ve invested so much time on rest and recovery stuff. I don’t want to waste the time that we’ve taken by pushing it back and then having to start this process all over again. I’m trying to get better as efficiently and quickly as I can. But it’s just not cooperating as well as I want to," Musgrove said to the San Diego Union Tribune.

“Especially at this level," he added. "It’s one thing to come back in high school or college and keep pitching your season, but to get major-league hitters out, your (expletive) has got to be good and you’ve got to be confident. And I just don’t have that right now."

The El Cajon native is 66-62 with a 3.73 ERA in 206 career games with the Houston Astros (2016-17), Pittsburgh Pirates (2018-20) and Padres (2021-24).

Luis Campusano Injury is Unfortunate for Padres

As for Campusano, he sustained a fractured toe in his left foot Tuesday when he fouled a ball off his foot batting against the San Francisco Giants.

While losing Musgrove for at least another two weeks is hardly a surprise given the recent news around his rehab, Campusano's absence is a shock by comparison.

In a timeshare with Fermin behind the plate, Campusano was batting .288 with a .958 OPS through 18 games.

Now, Fermin will take on a larger role with Duran — a career minor leaguer since 2015 — the ostensible backup.

The Padres host the St. Louis Cardinals for four straight games beginning Thursday.

Padres Make Will Wagner Roster Move

The Padres made one additional roster move on Thursday, activating infielder Will Wagner from the 10-day injured list and optioning him to Triple-A.

Wagner opened the season on the IL due to an oblique injury. In four games on his rehab assignment, he went 5-for-10 (.500) with an OPS of 1.322.

Across 55 big leagues games with the Toronto Blue Jays and Padres last season, Wagner hit .133 with an OPS of .369. The Padres traded catcher Brandon Valenzuela to Toronto in the one-for-one swap.

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