The last time Joe Musgrove started a Major League Baseball game was May 26. He beat a potent New York Yankees offense that day at Petco Park and looked like he was rounding into his usual All-Star form.
Then we was sent to the Injured List with what was eventually diagnosed as a bone spur in his pitching elbow. On Monday night, Musgrove will finally be back on the mound at Petco Park for the first time in 11 weeks to start a 3-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Obviously it's a nice boost for a club that's been one of the hottest in all of baseball (16-4 since the All-Star break) to add a guy with Musgrove's pedigree for the stretch run. It took a lot of work to get back to a spot where he can try to help earn a playoff spot, something that has not been lost on the clubhouse.
"That's what you want to see. I mean, the work that he puts in is, he works harder than a lot of guys have ever seen before," says infielder Jake Cronenworth. "What he's done since he's been on the I.L. trying to come back and help this team, knowing that he can help us is definitely huge for us."
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A guy with Musgrove's pedigree is a calming and motivating presence to the guys in the lineup.
"It's amazing to have him back, man," says infielder Xander Bogaerts. "I mean, just having his presence on the mound, it it goes a long way. And us behind him, we feel so confident in his abilities."
Musgrove made one minor league rehabilitation start, throwing 43 pitches for Single-A Lake Elsinore. His stuff was good enough for the Padres to let him come back without another tune-up. In fact, in that outing his stuff was a little bit elevated.
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The radar gun in Fresno showed him hitting 96 MPH with the fastball. For his career Musgrove has averaged 93 MPH. While readings at minor league facilities can be a little wonky, while he was out Musgrove worked on incorporating his lower body more into the delivery to take emphasis off the elbow. It's possible, though not probable, the slight alteration in his delivery has unlocked more velocity.
Musgrove will be limited to around 60 pitches as he builds back up from the long layoff. His presence also opens the possibility of a 6-man starting rotation.
Michael King, Matt Waldron, and Randy Vasquez have already thrown more innings this year than any season in their big league careers (although King and Vasquez have both had larger workloads in a single minor league season). Giving them a little extra rest to cut down their exposure to potential injury is an option the organization is considering and something they did with great success for long stretches of the 2022 season.
Manager Mike Shildt is holding off on making that move at the moment.
"I always consider every aspect of the club. But you know, when you have six starters, you have seven relievers and we have a lot of 1 to 2 inning guys so it just doesn't work," says manager Mike Shildt. "We like our starters the way they are. We've got a day off coming up and Joe's giving everybody an extra day by his presence so we're riding with what we have."
Vasquez is currently in Triple-A continuing to get his work in as a starter in case there is another injury situation.
