Musgrove moves closer to return with solid showing in second rehab start
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SAN DIEGO -- Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove took another step toward his return from Tommy John surgery, throwing 53 pitches in his second rehab outing on Sunday afternoon.
Musgrove allowed a run over 3 1/3 innings for Triple-A El Paso, pitching in Reno. He struck out two and didn’t issue a walk. The numbers are sort of beside the point (particularly in a launching pad like that one).
Musgrove looked strong and healthy across parts of four innings, putting him one step closer to a return -- potentially later this 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.”
Stammen wouldn’t divulge the next step for Musgrove, but it would presumably be another rehab outing with an increased pitch count.
Musgrove underwent surgery in October 2024, and the Padres initially envisioned his return coming early this season. But after one outing during Spring Training, Musgrove endured a setback, pushing his return to late in the season.
In four seasons with the Padres before his surgery, Musgrove posted a 3.20 ERA. Whenever he takes the mound, it could be a major boost for a rotation that got a couple of those last week, when Casey Mize and Robbie Ray were acquired at the Trade Deadline.
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“It provides a little bit of mental relief, I guess,” Musgrove said recently of the Padres’ 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.”
Meanwhile, right-hander Nick Pivetta played catch again on Sunday at Petco Park. Pivetta was on the same rehab track as Musgrove before leaving his first rehab outing last week with an elbow issue. The Padres have since pushed pause on that rehab. They have tentative plans for Pivetta to throw a bullpen session but wouldn’t divulge a date.