The San Diego Padres are hoping to have a strong season this year, and one of the things to be excited about is the return of veteran right-hander Joe Musgrove.
Musgrove is returning from Tommy John surgery and recently made progress after throwing in three innings, according to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.
“Musgrove threw parts of three innings. He punched out three, walked one, and allowed five hits, all singles. Whatever the line, very positive step for Musgrove in his return to the mound,” Cassavell wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
This was good news for the Padres, as he made his first return to the mound since the October 2024 Wild Card series with a torn UCL that required Tommy John surgery.
Ahead of his return, manager Craig Stammen spoke about Musgrove and what he's seen from him leading up to this point.
“Joe is gonna pitch against Great Britain on Wednesday. He’s doing really well. Every time I watch him throw I’m expecting his stuff to be down a tick, and it hasn’t been. It’s almost been a little bit better. I know he’s excited to get back on the mound. He’s gotten over a few humps on the backfields and now ready to take it against some other competition,” Stammen said via Sports Illustrated.
Before Musgrove's elbow injuries and UCL tear, he put up solid stats with a 3.88 ERA, a 1.17 WHIP, and 101 strikeouts over 99.2 innings over 19 starts.
If Musgrove can return back to that form, the Padres may be in good hands this season.
