Despite a winning record, the San Diego Padres face a long road to recovery with Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta in a concerning update.
The San Diego Padres have somehow been able to stay alive in the National League West race early on this season.
So far, the trio of Jackson Merrill, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado have been surprisingly underperforming at the plate.
Jake Cronenworth is well below the .200 mark and is on the IL, and the Padres' arguably best hitter, Luis Campusano, is now also dealing with an injury.
On top of that, Joe Musgrove suffered a setback in his recovery from Tommy John surgery and has yet to pitch. Opening Day starter Nick Pivetta landed on the IL after just a handful of starts this season, and the Padres are still finding ways to win games.
It makes no sense, but that is what is going on in San Diego.
The big questions are in regards to the statuses of Musgrove and Pivetta, and Padres GM A.J. Preller gave an update during an interview with 97.3 The Fan.
"Joe and Nick, they haven't started throwing yet," Preller said. "I know everybody's anxious, and I know everybody, especially myself, wants these guys back on the mound. But we also understand that they're working through their rehab portion of it."
"We're not talking about days or weeks with those guys in terms of them being ready to come back to Petco [Park]," Preller said. "It's going to be a process."
On the surface, that is not positive news whatsoever.
Now, Pivetta was initially expected to miss a few months when he landed on the IL, and Musgrove's silent injury prognosis has some wondering if he will pitch at all this season, or even if he pitches another game for San Diego.
For the time being, the Padres have seen Michael King and Randy Vasquez excel, and Walker Buehler has bounced back after some rough outings.
Griffin Canning started well in his debut before two shaky outings, and Lucas Giolito is making his Padres debut on Sunday against the Seattle Mariners.
Preller did give some hope and encouragement, although he insisted it won't be until June, July or even later that Musgrove and Pivetta get close to a Petco Park stint.
"They had a really positive last week [to] 10 days, [starting] to feel in a good place," Preller said. "I think that starts moving the needle on them throwing. But when they start playing catch, they'll have a buildup that will take some time, and then they'll start getting into bullpens and eventually games."
Pivetta has made just four starts this season, Musgrove hasn't made one, and yet the Padres have 27 wins entering May 17, which is shocking by all measures.
But, for anybody holding their breath for a Musgrove or Pivetta return before the All-Star break, that thought might want to be put to bed for now.