Joe Musgrove Fantasy Stats

San Diego Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller did not commit to right-hander Joe Musgrove being a part of the team's starting rotation in 2027 when asked on Wednesday, saying that "the best spot for Joe Musgrove" will be "one of the questions for the offseason." Musgrove has not pitched in the regular season since 2024 due to persistent elbow issues. However, the 33-year-old managed to return to the mound in the 2026 postseason, making two appearances and pitching three innings. Musgrove was an effective pitcher in 2024, recording a 6-5 record with a 3.88 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 101 strikeouts across 99 2/3 innings (19 starts). He also has one season remaining on the five-year, $100 million contract he signed with the Padres ahead of the 2023 season. Still, it appears as though San Diego may be open to using Musgrove out of the bullpen in an effort to keep him healthy in 2027.

San Diego Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove made his return to the big-league mound in his team's 8-0 win over the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series on Tuesday. The 33-year-old worked around two hits and a walk to pitch a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts. Musgrove missed the entire 2025 and 2026 regular seasons due to elbow surgery and numerous health-related setbacks. However, San Diego activated him from the 60-day injured list on Tuesday and included him on their roster for the Wild Card Series. Musgrove's usage out of the bullpen in a blowout indicates that San Diego may not be eager to thrust him into high-leverage situations just yet. Still, the veteran may end up playing a significant role for the Padres if San Diego can make a deep playoff push.

The San Diego Padres activated right-hander Joe Musgrove (elbow) from the 60-day injured list on Tuesday, and he will be included on the roster for the Wild-Card Series this week at Petco Park against the Chicago Cubs, according to Dennis Lin of The Athletic. It is a bit of a surprise, since Musgrove did not pitch for the Friars at all in 2026, and he made only 19 starts in 2024 before eventually undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. Musgrove was expected to be ready for the start of this season, but he suffered a setback in spring training and then was not recovering the way he would have liked once he started a minor-league rehab assignment. Because of the long layoff and the fact that he has not pitched in the majors at all this year, if Musgrove gets into a game during the Wild-Card Series, it will almost certainly be in more of a low-leverage bullpen role. The 33-year-old veteran was an All-Star in 2022 with the Padres, posting a career-best 2.93 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 30 starts. Musgrove went 6-5 with a 3.88 ERA (3.96 FIP) and 1.17 WHIP with 101 strikeouts and 23 walks in his 19 starts in 2024 before being shut down.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Joe Musgrove (elbow) is scheduled to make a minor league rehab start with Triple-A El Paso on Sunday, according to Sammy Levitt. Musgrove continues to work his way back from Tommy John surgery. His last rehab start was with Single-A Lake Elsinore on Tuesday. He might need one or two more starts before he's finally ready to make an impact in the Padres rotation. Fantasy managers should see Musgrove making his season debut in late August. Fantasy managers in need of pitching help down the stretch of the season should consider stashing Musgrove.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Joe Musgrove (elbow) threw his first live batting practice session on Friday. He tossed 23 pitches, and while that is fewer than the nearly 40 pitches he threw a week earlier, facing live hitters is a much more significant step. This marks another major milestone for the 33-year-old hurler, who is working his way back from Tommy John surgery in October 2024. He is set to throw again at some point next week, and will likely need to throw multiple live batting practice sessions before being assigned to a rehab assignment. However, if he continues to check all the boxes, there is a chance he could be activated from the Injured List sometime in September. That said, it's unclear whether he will be eased back into action after such a long layoff, which caps his fantasy upside for the 2026 season.

San Diego Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove (elbow) was hopeful for an early-season return after missing all of 2025 following Tommy John surgery in October of 2024, but he experienced a setback after making one spring training start. Musgrove began playing catch in late May, according to MLB.com. He's currently on the 60-day injured list and isn't expected to return at this point until after the All-Star break in mid-July. It's good news that the 33-year-old veteran is throwing a baseball again, but he still has plenty of boxes to check and must next get back on the mound. The Padres could definitely use Musgrove's presence in their starting rotation with Nick Pivetta (forearm) out until late in the year, but the Padres aren't going to rush him back. When/if Musgrove is available for the Friars in the second half, he'll most likely be eased back into action, limiting his fantasy upside. At best, Musgrove will probably be a matchup-based streamer in deep-mixed leagues whenever he returns. Right now, he's rostered in 16% of Yahoo leagues.

The San Diego Padres announced on Thursday that they transferred right-hander Joe Musgrove (elbow) to the 60-day injured list. Musgrove had Tommy John surgery late in the 2024 season and missed the entire 2025 campaign as a result. The 33-year-old veteran was working his way back in the offseason for a potential return to San Diego's starting rotation for the start of this season, but he just has not recovered as expected, and now he won't be eligible to make his 2026 season debut until at least late May. It's unclear exactly where he's at in his throwing program to build his arm strength back up, but we'd be surprised to see Musgrove back with the Padres in the first half of the season at this point. It's becoming harder and harder to recommend holding Musgrove in single-year fantasy leagues. He's currently rostered in 22% of Yahoo leagues. The Padres could really use the rotation boost, but Musgrove's return to a big-league mound is not imminent.

San Diego Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove (elbow) has not yet been cleared to throw bullpen sessions off a mound, according to Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Musgrove was on track to open the 2026 season in San Diego's starting rotation, but he developed soreness in his surgically-repaired right elbow in his only appearance in spring training. He had Tommy John surgery in October of 2024 and didn't pitch at all in the big leagues in 2025. The 33-year-old veteran continues to play catch, but because he's not throwing off a mound yet, he's nowhere close to rejoining the Padres' rotation this year. Once Musgrove starts throwing off a mound, he'll eventually need a lengthy minor-league rehab assignment. It might not be until June or later that he's able to make his season debut. Nick Pivetta (elbow) just went on the 15-day injured list, too, which has allowed Matt Waldron (lower body) to make starts for the Padres going forward. Musgrove is only rostered in 28% of Yahoo leagues right now.

San Diego Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove (elbow), who began the 2026 regular season on the 15-day injured list while recovering from Tommy John surgery that he had in 2024, still is not throwing off a mound, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. "To get major-league hitters out, your (expletive) has got to be good, and you've got to be confident," Musgrove said. "And I just don't have that right now. I'm not far off." The next step will be to get back on a mound, and eventually he'll resume facing hitters before going on a minor-league rehab assignment. The 33-year-old last threw off a mound on March 4 in an exhibition game in spring training against Great Britain, but he was pulled back from his rehab after that after not responding like he wanted to. The Padres are going to slow-play this one given Musgrove's extensive absence, and we might not see Musgrove make his 2026 debut at this rate until June or July.

The San Diego Union-Tribune's Jeff Sanders reports that although San Diego Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove (elbow) has resumed playing catch, there is no timeline for him to rejoin the team's starting rotation to make his 2026 debut. The last time Musgrove threw off a mound was when he delivered 60 pitches in an exhibition game against Great Britain on March 4 due to a setback with his right elbow after having Tommy John surgery in October of 2024. Musgrove didn't pitch at all for the Padres last year. The good news is that an MRI exam didn't show anything concerning. Still, he needs to build up to bullpen sessions before eventually going on a minor-league rehab assignment. Given where Musgrove is in his throwing program, we'd be surprised if the Padres get the 33-year-old veteran back in April. President of baseball operations A.J. Preller didn't have a good answer for when Musgrove might be back, but he doesn't think it will be months out, either. Fantasy managers stashing Musgrove in deeper leagues will need to be patient early this year.