The veteran right-hander makes a stunning return from injury to bolster San Diego’s bullpen, headlining a postseason roster fueled by high-stakes surprises and strategic depth maneuvers.
The San Diego Padres take on the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card series at Petco Park beginning on Tuesday.
After the Padres clinched the No. 4 seed and secured a first-round series at home, questions swirled about what the roster might look like.
Well, the answer came on Tuesday, and there were some big surprises, including both Joe Musgrove and Miguel Andujar making the 26-man roster for San Diego.
Here is the entire roster.
Pitchers
- Jason Adam
- Yuki Matsui
- David Morgan
- Walker Buehler
- Mason Miller
- Joe Musgrove
- Michal King
- Adrian Morejon
- Nick Pivetta
- Robbie Ray
- Bradgley Rodriguez
Catchers
- Freddy Fermin
- Luis Campusano
- Ethan Salas
Infielders
- Miguel Andujar
- Ty France
- Xander Bogaerts
- Manny Machado
- Jake Cronenworth
- Gavin Sheets
Outfielders
- Jase Bowen
- Jackson Merrill
- Dustin Harris
- Fernando Tatis Jr.
- Austin Hays
- Samad Taylor
The biggest surprise is Joe Musgrove. He missed all of 2025 with Tommy John surgery, and he suffered a setback prior to the 2026 campaign that forced him to miss the entire regular season.
Musgrove hasn't pitched since Game 2 of the Wild Card series in 2024, but he now returns in a bullpen role for San Diego.
Some notable exclusions are Randy Vasquez, Wandy Peralta and Sung-Mun Song.
However, Vasquez started the season finale on Sunday, so it seemed more and more unlikely that he wouldn't make the 26-man roster, at least for this round.
Andujar is another small surprise as he has been dealing with an injury and has played recently in Triple-A, but he hasn't appeared in a major league game with the Padres since July 19.
But, by far, the most surprising inclusion is Musgrove, and we can only imagine the reception he will receive at Petco Park if he makes an appearance in this series.
Jase Bowen was a fringe candidate to make the roster, but he projects as a defensive replacement and a pinch-runner that manager Craig Stammen can use late in games, so that's a smart move.
Peralta not being on the roster is an interesting choice, but the Padres have Robbie Ray, Adrian Morejon and Yuki Matsui as left-handed options.
Game 1 is on Tuesday night with Michael King starting against Matthew Boyd, and for the time being, Stammen has revealed who will start for Game 2.
So, at long last, Joe Musgrove is back, and it comes at a crucial time for the San Diego Padres.
