San Diego Padres are left without one of their main starting pitchers, as Joe Musgrove requires Tommy John surgery after suffering ulnar collateral ligament damage in his last outing.
LOS ANGELES — The right thrower of the San Diego Padres, Joe Musgrove, suffered damage in it ulnar collateral ligament during its opening on Wednesday and will soon will submit to one tommy john surgerywhich will end to your season and I dwill practically discard for the all of 2025.
Musgrove exited in the fourth inning of his start in Game 2 of the Padres’ wild-card series after consecutive 70 mph curveballs to Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson. An initial MRI showed no further damage to his ulnar collateral ligament, but a follow-up on Thursday, after the swelling had subsided, revealed a tear large enough to warrant surgery.
Joe Musgrove will not return in the postseason with the San Diego Padres and will miss the 2025 season by needing Tommy John surgery. AP Photo/Gregory Bull
“I’m devastated that we didn’t finish what we initially started,” Musgrove said Friday, before the rest of his team held a workout at Dodger Stadium ahead of the National League Division Series. “I’m not so worried about work, rehab or free time. I know how to work hard. It’s just a matter of accepting the fact that this is it for me.”
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Musgrove’s absence for the rest of October likely means that Martín Pérez, who posted a 3.46 ERA in 10 starts since being acquired before the trade deadline, will jump into the Padres’ postseason rotation.
The Padres will open the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with Dylan Cease in Game 1 on Saturday, Yu Darvish in Game 2 on Sunday and Michael King when the series moves to San Diego for Game 3 on Tuesday. Pérez seems to be the logical choice to open a possible Game 4.
“We definitely wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Joe Musgrove,” Padres general manager AJ Preller said. “He’s obviously very disappointed; everyone in that room feels for him. We’ve had a lot of guys step up this year. And now it’s going to take other guys on that team to step up because it’s definitely a big blow.” .
Musgrove was twice on the disabled list due to issues stemming from bone spurs earlier this season, missing about three weeks in May, making two starts and returning to the bench. Musgrove’s second stint on the DL was followed by a more deliberate raise, a platelet-rich plasma injection to promote healing and a slight delivery adjustment to take some of the stress off his right elbow.
But, MRIs in the summer also showed some damage to his ulnar collateral ligament and that “it was kind of a matter of time.” before a tear could occur, Musgrove said.
Musgrove added: “The injury was the writing on the wall for me.”
Musgrove, 31, had one of the best stretches of his career upon returning in mid-August, posting a 2.15 ERA with 57 strikeouts and eight walks in 50⅓ innings over his final nine regular-season starts. Musgrove came into October believing he could hold out for at least another month. He took the mound at Petco Park on Wednesday feeling like his usual self, until he started feeling stiffness in his right elbow after his third inning of work. He returned for the top of the fourth not knowing what to expect.
“I was just trying to get it over the plate and get out of the inning,” Musgrove said. “I didn’t necessarily know it was an ulnar collateral ligament injury, but it was something I hadn’t felt before, to a point where I think it was the first time in my career I walked off a mound.”
Musgrove, under contract through 2027, said he has not scheduled surgery or decided which doctor will perform it, but hopes to do so “sooner rather than later.”
He also plans to be with his teammates for the duration of his streak.
“It’s unfortunate that, performance-wise, it’s not there,” Cease said. “But he’s an important part of our team and a leader. He’ll be with us in other ways.”
