Padres' Joe Musgrove Has Clear Timeline to Make 2026 Debut

The San Diego Padres are gearing up for a possible return from starting pitcher Joe Musgrove in the coming weeks.

Musgrove threw his first rehab start earlier this week, and now he's heading toward another one. The team is hopeful that he can complete at least four innings, throwing around 50-60 pitches.

When Will Joe Musgrove Return?

If the veteran can come out of the start without any issues, the timeline for his return could be the homestand for San Diego on Aug. 21. But the Padres won't push Musgrove, allowing him the time needed to get back on the field after a long recovery process.

In the wake of Musgrove being out, the Padres did acquire multiple starting pitchers at the trade deadline. This has alleviated some pressure on the team to get Musgrove back sooner, even if the right-hander doesn't see it that way.

“Maybe mentally,” he said. “I don’t think it changes a whole lot with how I’m pushing to get back and the time frame I want to get back. I want to be back as soon as possible, especially now that I’m feeling physically capable of it. I’m more enticing them to push me a little bit quicker. But it provides a little bit of mental relief, I guess, that it’s not like we’re wearing our bullpen out every day, and now we’ve got some starters in there that can throw some innings and get some length out of it. Guys that have done it for a while. So that part of it feels good.”

Landing right-hander Casey Mize and left-hander Robbie Ray at the trade deadline gives the Padres some much-needed depth in the rotation. With the potential returns of Musgrove and Nick Pivetta, the rotation can turn into a strength.

Musgrove has been out all year, and he missed the entire 2025 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The veteran was expected to return at the start of this season, but he suffered a setback during spring training.

His road to recovery has been exhausting, but there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel. Musgrove simply wants to make sure that he's healthy enough to return without hindering the Padres' chance to make the playoffs this season.

“I’m still pushing to get back as soon as possible," Musgrove said. "I want to get as many reps and as many outings under my belt as I can before we get into that postseason push.”

Nick Pivetta Injury Update

In addition to Musgrove, the Padres have been without right-hander Nick Pivetta. Pivetta was on track to return around the same time as Musgrove, but he exited his first rehab start early with an injury.

The Padres have seemed to dodge a bullet with Pivetta, with the team giving him some extra days off due to the injury. Both he and Musgrove are expected to bolster the team's rotation for the stretch run, offering manager Craig Stammen flexibility within the starting group.

Pivetta was expected to be the ace of this staff heading into the year before suffering his injury in April.

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