San Diego Padres Ace Heads to the Injured List

According to reporters, including Dennis Lin of The Athletic, the Padres view Musgrove’s injured list placement as precautionary. If he is out for the minimum of 15 days, Musgrove projects to miss just three starts. Vásquez will make one of those starts, but the Padres are open to using bullpen games in Musgrove’s absence.

San Diego Padres Place Joe Musgrove on the Injured List

Musgrove’s 2024 Struggles

While the Padres don’t think the issue is serious, there are some red flags indicating potential concern. First, Musgrove has struggled mightily this season after serving as one of San Diego’s best pitchers in recent years. In eight starts, the 31-year-old has tossed 41 innings and has given up a league-leading 10 homers and 29 earned runs.

Unsurprisingly, hitters have not been fooled by his pitches. Musgrove’s strikeout rate is down by almost four percent compared to his career average. Plus, hitters are making hard contact while not chasing pitches out of the strike zone.

The effectiveness of Musgrove’s four-seam fastball represents a key contributor to his regression. Last year, the pitch had a run value of 8. This year, it has a run value of -8. The average velocity is only 0.6 mph less this season, but hitters have still teed off on it.

Is Musgrove Struggling Due To A Lingering Injury?

It’s unclear if Musgrove’s struggles have anything to do with his elbow inflammation, but the Padres might be hoping so. If there is no serious injury present, the Padres likely hope a two-week rest could help Musgrove mentally, let alone physically.

However, this injured list stint is just the latest for Musgrove. The California native has dealt with various injuries throughout his career, but perhaps a recent one might still be lingering. The Padres shut Musgrove down last season in late July, and he ended up finishing the year on the injured list.

It’s unfair to attribute his poor season to any injury, but it’s notable that Musgrove also struggled in spring training. He clearly struggled to recover from his shoulder issues last season and has not been a good pitcher since returning. It wouldn’t be surprising if shoulder issues are still impacting his performance while contributing to the latest elbow inflammation and triceps tendinitis.

The Padres have a good offense that has improved greatly this weekend. However, run prevention has been an issue. If improved, San Diego might be a serious postseason threat. Unfortunately, that’s unlikely to happen without a vintage Musgrove.