'Best I've felt in the last two years': Musgrove making strides after latest rehab outing

SAN DIEGO -- Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove knows not to get too far ahead of himself in his nearly two-year quest to get back on the mound.

This time, though, it feels more real than it ever has after his second rehab outing.

“The emotion part has kind of passed for me. So obviously I’m very excited to get back,” Musgrove said Monday, a day after he threw 53 pitches with Triple-A El Paso. “I’ve wanted to pitch in games for a long time now. Multiple times I felt like I've been really close and just haven't gotten there. So this is the best I've felt in the last two years.”

Musgrove could potentially return later this month for the Padres, who are pushing for a National League Wild Card spot with seven weeks left in the season. They opened a big series at home Monday night against the Brewers, who entered with an MLB-best 74-44 record.

Musgrove hasn’t pitched in a game since Game 2 of the 2024 Wild Card Series against the Braves on Oct. 2, 2024, at Petco Park. He had Tommy John surgery a week later.

Musgrove looked strong in allowing one run in 3 1/3 innings in Reno on Sunday. He struck out two and didn’t issue a walk.

“I was happy I was able to get my four ups in. I was pretty efficient with pitches, a lot of strikes. I felt physically good with just about everything,” he said. “I made some adjustments to pitches that hadn't been super consistent for me over the last two weeks. It was mainly like changing an old grip that I used to have to something new to avoid some discomfort. I feel like now I'm at the point where I'm getting back to my old grips, I'm feeling more normal with it. So I'm seeing more consistent shapes with my breaking balls. A lot of breaking balls in the zone, a lot of fastballs in the zone.”

Musgrove struggled with two-strike expansion pitches.

“I felt like I had a lot of opportunities to get punchouts and get more swing and miss but wasn’t really getting to the clean spots, you know, another ball or two high, a ball or two underneath,” he said. “But for where I’m at, not facing hitters in a while, I feel really happy with where I'm at. … I feel happy with the fact that I'm throwing strikes. I’ve just got to work on expanding the zone a little bit.”

The big righty, who grew up in suburban El Cajon, said he was sitting around 94 mph, and occasionally a tick or two above that.

“Really consistent. I don't feel like a huge difference as the game goes with my stuff fading. You know, maybe just the fatigue of the up-downs, having not experienced that in a little while. By no means did I feel beat down or achy or painful in my last innings of these outings. I feel like I'm getting stronger as the game's going and and starting to find that rhythm. So all good signs.”

He expects to make another rehab start in five days but doesn’t know where yet.

Musgrove said he’s spoken with general manager A.J. Preller about how he’ll be used once he’s back. He added that it’s a big boost that Preller added starters Robbie Ray and Casey Mize at the Trade Deadline.

“Nothing's really set in stone, but I don't think he's looking for another three- to four-inning starter,” Musgrove said. “I think he wants a starter that can pitch a postseason game or somebody that can give us some length down the last month or so of the season. That’s ultimately what I want. I want to get back in games.

“So if it was getting back sooner in three innings, I would take that, but I think having the assistance of Robbie and Casey, showing up at the Deadline, gives us a little bit more leeway to stretch those guys out a little bit more and give myself and Nick [Pivetta] the time we need to get built up to a normal starting depth. I'm hoping one more start, maybe back here at 75, 80 pitches. It’s easy to make a 10- to 15-pitch jump every outing. So doing the math, it sounds like two more, but maybe one more if I'm super sharp.”

Said manager Craig Stammen: “He looked [like] normal Joe. He came out of it healthy, feeling good, and that’s No. 1.”