The San Diego Padres feature a loaded roster, and they are still waiting for the return of two key players. SP Joe Musgrove suffered an injury in spring training and is currently on the injured list. OF Fernando Tatis Jr is serving the final games of his PED suspension. The Padres recently received important updates on both players.
Fernando Tatis Jr is set to begin his rehab stint with Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday, per MLB.com's AJ Cassavell. Joe Musgrove is also expected to join Triple-A El Paso for a rehab stint this week, per MLB.com. If all goes according to plan, he will pitch Thursday for the Padres' Triple-A squad.
Musgrove could reportedly return as soon as April 11th, but San Diego may prefer for him to make a second rehab start before joining the Padres. Nevertheless, Musgrove will return to the big leagues soon barring any setbacks. As for Tatis Jr, he is eligible to return from his suspension on April 20th.
The Padres, as mentioned earlier, already feature an impressive all-around roster. The fact that they will soon be getting back a potential Cy Young candidate and MVP-caliber player will surely put the National League on notice.
The Padres have plenty of potential in 2023. Last year, they finally defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the playoffs. This season, however, anything short of a World Series victory will be considered a failure regardless of how well they perform against LA.
For now, the Padres are simply focused on starting out the season on a high note.