The San Diego Padres saw the best of Joe Musgrove for the last month of the regular season.
The hope of seeing him at his best again will have to wait at least another year.
More news: MLB Playoffs: Padres Make Decision on Joe Musgrove in NLDS vs Dodgers
Musgrove will undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow that will sideline him for the remainder of the 2024 postseason and into 2025 as well, general manager A.J. Preller said Friday in Los Angeles.
The announcement comes one day before the Padres are set to face the rival Los Angeles Dodgers in the best-of-five National League Division Series.
Joe Musgrove will have Tommy John surgery.
— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) October 4, 2024
Manager Mike Shildt said at a press conference Friday at Dodger Stadium that Musgrove would be unavailable to pitch in the NLDS.
“He’ll be with us in our hearts, but he won’t be on the mound,” Shildt said.
Dylan Cease on Joe Musgrove missing the NLDS and if he’ll approach the top of the Dodgers’ lineup differently than any other lineup he’s faced: pic.twitter.com/T22yXWMTZ9
— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) October 4, 2024
Musgrove, 31, missed 11 weeks with an elbow injury earlier this season. When he returned, he was one of the Padres’ best pitchers.
Musgrove went 3-1 with a 2.15 ERA in his nine starts after returning from the injury. Six of the 12 earned runs he allowed scored in a single game against San Francisco. In the other eight games, he had a 1.17 ERA — good enough to earn the starting assignment in Game 2 of the Wild Card series.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 24: Joe Musgrove #44 of the San Diego Padres celebrates in the clubhouse after the 4-2 against the Los Angeles Dodgers to clinch a playoff spot at Dodger Stadium on September 24, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Musgrove will undergo Tommy John surgery, ending his season.
Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images
The veteran right-hander delivered, allowing only one hit and one run, walking none, and striking out four in the Padres’ 5-4 victory against the Braves. Amid a champagne celebration in a raucous clubhouse, a somber Musgrove conceded he might have pitched his final game of the season.
“I don’t know what the future looks like for me right now,” Musgrove said, via the San Diego Union-Tribune, “but I know I’m going to give it every chance I have and I’ll do whatever I have to do to get back in here at some point.”
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In nine major league seasons with the Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates and Padres, Musgrove is 66-62 with a 3.73 ERA.
A native of nearby El Cajon, Musgrove is 37-24 with a 3.20 ERA in four seasons in San Diego. He signed a five-year, $100 million contract extension in Aug. 2022, and is owed $20 million each of the next three years.
Now, it appears Musgrove will pitch two of those years in a best-case scenario. Tommy John surgery typically comes with a 12- to 18-month recovery timeframe.
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