The San Diego Padres are hoping to get starter Joe Musgrove back soon, but there's plenty of uncertainty involved.
The San Diego Padres have regained their footing as a playoff contender, and the Padres are back in their perch as the third wild-card team.
But it’s not a comfortable position to be in given the tightness of the race and the number of teams that are involved, and San Diego definitely needs to separate to nail down the postseason possibiliy.
Starter Joe Musgrove has been called both an X factor and a question mark down the stretch, and both designations are valid. Musgrove got up to 70 pitches in his last rehab start, so the Padres are eagerly awaiting his next start and the progress report that will come with it.
But which version of Musgrove will show up, and when exactly will he be back? That was the question asked by AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, as he noted that Musgrove could be back by the end of the month.
What the Padres still don’t know, however, is whether they’ll get the healthy version of Musgrove who’s pitched to a 3.20 ERA, per the writer. If he can regain that form right out of the gate, the Padres rotation will look “a lot scarier,” Cassavell noted, both during the stretch drive and the postseason.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic called Musgrove an X-factor, and he noted that the right-hander hit 95-97 mph during his start and held it throughout the effort. Adding Musgrove would give the Padres four top-tier starters, with one undoubtedly moving to the bullpen as first man up in a shorter series.
It’s not a fair ask for Musgrove, and the expectations are even more unfair. He’s one of the Padres most highly-regarded players, and he’s certainly done everything the team has asked to get back on the mound during his long, extended comeback effort.
But these are the cards he’s been dealt, and this is where Musgrove is at the moment. The good news is that the Padres bullpen has had a chance to get what manager Craig Stammen called “a bit of a breather,” so if Musgrove can make it back he’d be able to submit some short outings and have the Padres be fine with it.
The Padres have a chance to reset at home and gain ground, with the Minnesota Twins and Pittsburgh Pirates next up in the schedule. Both teams are marginal playoff contenders with records just below .500, and anything less than a pair of series wins won’t cut it heading into September.
