Padres Manager Makes Bold Joe Musgrove Declaration Ahead of Season

The right-handed pitcher is coming off of Tommy John surgery.

Oct 2, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove (44) throws during the first inning of game two in the Wildcard round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen made a bold declaration regarding right-handed pitcher Joe Musgrove ahead of the 2026 season.

“Joe’s capable of being the best pitcher in the National League,” Stammen said. “I think the way that he puts work in and the attention to detail — you know, we’ve seen other pitchers come back from Tommy John and have spectacular seasons, so I’m not going to put that past Joe.

“Now, is that, like, a 100 percent chance that’s going to happen? No. But I know we’re going to get a very good version of Joe Musgrove.”

Musgrove missed the entirety of the 2025 season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, but there's a ton of excitement surrounding his long-awaited return to the mound.

The right-hander last stood on the bump throughout the 2024 season, but was limited to just 19 starts because of recurring elbow issues. The problems with his elbow hampered his performance as he struggled early, sporting a 6.37 ERA before he spent time on the injured list in the middle of the season.

Once he returned from the injured list, Musgrove was dominant as he produced a 2.15 ERA in his final nine starts of the season. His whirlwind 2024 campaign ended on the lowest of notes as he suffered a torn UCL in the Wild Card series.

Musgrove's injury left the Padres rotation without one of its best pitchers as the team advanced to the NL Division Series to face the Los Angeles Dodgers. Who knows if the outcome would have been different with the right-hander on the mound.

The Padres pushed the Dodgers to the brink of elimination, but ultimately fell in Game 5 by a score of 2-0.

San Diego is still looking for its first World Series championship and having Musgrove back on the mound would certainly get them one step closer.

Musgrove's best season came in 2022 with the Padres, when he sported a 2.93 ERA with 184 strikeouts across 181 innings. That season, he made the first and only All-Star appearance of his career.

Could Musgrove return to his All-Star form? That remains to be seen.

However, it's evident the Padres are confident Musgrove can dominant on the mound in his first season back since undergoing Tommy John surgery.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI and follow us on X/Twitter and Facebook.