The San Diego Padres have a couple of important rehabbing starters, and Joe Musgrove is the one making progress.
The San Diego Padres haven’t had much luck with the rehab progress of starter Nick Pivetta, but Joe Musgrove provided some welcome news in his second rehab start, according to a followup peice by AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.
Musgrove threw 53 pitches on Sunday afternoon, as he allowed a run over 3-1/3 innings for Triple-A El Paso as they played in Reno yesterday. He looked strong throughout, whcih brings him one step closer to a return, possibly as soon as the end of the month.
“It’s a sight for sore eyes [to see Musgrove on the mound],” said Padres manager Craig Stammen. “I know we’re all excited for him to have handled this tough rehab process and that he’s somewhat on the way back. He’s getting closer every single day. That’s exciting.”
Musgrove’s injury history coming into this one goes back a long way. He underwent surgery back in October of 2024, then missed most of last season, but in the years before the surgery he pitched to an ERA of 3.20.
The right-hander could be the icing on the cake for a rotation that just added Casey Mize and Robbie Ray, and Musgrove understand what he and the newcomers can deliver.
“It provides a little bit of mental relief, I guess,” Musgrove said recently of the Padres’ trade deadline moves. “It’s not like we’re wearing our bullpen out every day. Now we’ve got some starters in here that can throw some innings and get some length out of it, guys that have done it for a while. That part of it feels good.
“But it’s not like having them is allowing me to ease off the gas and slow things down. I’m still pushing to get back as soon as possible.”
Pivetta, meanwhile, is back to playing catch, which raises automatic questions about the seriousness of his setback. The Padres have pushed pause on his rehab, according to Cassavell, and while they have tentative plans for Pivetta to throw another bullpen, they wouldn’t divulge the date or their plans beyond that as the right-hander has a contract deadline of Aug. 22 to get back on the mound to keep his player option.
The Padres rotation seems set for now with Mize and Ray settling into regular starts and roles, but there’s no doubt that adding Musgrove in would give them an extra edge as they try to become the playoff team no one wants to play in October.
