The San Diego Padres were dealt a big blow ahead of their NLDS matchup against NL West rival Los Angeles Dodgers. The team announced that Joe Musgrove, one of their top starters, will be lost for the rest of the playoffs and the 2025 season as he will have to undergo Tommy John surgery. Musgrove had to leave Game 2’s Wild Card win against the Atlanta Braves during the fourth inning.
This will not only affect Musgrove and the Padres for the rest of the playoffs but for 2025 and beyond. We take a look at what the future holds for Musgrove and the Padres.
Who will replace Joe Musgrove in the playoff rotation?
The San Diego Padres were counting on Joe Musgrove to form a four-headed playoff rotation monster with Dylan Cease, Michael King, and Yu Darvish. Now, with Musgrove out, the Padres will most likely turn to Martin Perez. The Padres acquired Perez from the Pittsburgh Pirates at the trade deadline.
Over ten starts with the Padres, Perez had a 3.46 ERA, with 44 strikeouts and 20 earned runs in 52 innings. The Padres will hope the lefty can help contain a Dodgers lineup consisting of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Teoscar Hernandez.
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What will the San Diego Padres do about their 2025 rotation without Joe Musgrove?
The San Diego Padres already have three of their rotation spots filled for 2025 in Dylan Cease, Michael King, and Yu Darvish. Obviously, Joe Musgrove was supposed to take another spot but that won’t happen until at least 2026. With Musgrove gone for 2025, who can the Padres get to fill his shoes? Would the Padres look to bring back Blake Snell if he opts out of his contract with the San Francisco Giants? Could they go after future Hall of Famers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander on a one-year deal? Maybe current Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Jack Flaherty could be an option? Will they make a trade? Whatever happens, the Padres have big shoes to fill.
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Joe Musgrove’s concerning injury history
This is the second consecutive year that the San Diego Padres pitcher hasn’t been able to finish a season. Last year, the Padres shut down Joe Musgrove’s season in August due to right shoulder inflammation. It was partly due to the Padres being out of the postseason race, but who knows how Musgrove would’ve performed if he did come back. He only made 17 starts last season.
Musgrove also made two separate trips to the injured list in 2024 due to bone spurs. The injury limited Musgrove to 19 starts this season. Now, with Musgrove missing 2025 due to Tommy John surgery, it remains to be seen how the one-time All-Star will pitch from here on out. His five-year, $100 million contract runs through 2027.
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