In order to pitch for the San Diego Padres against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series, Joe Musgrove will require Tommy John surgery. The right-handed pitcher’s ulnar collateral ligament is injured, as stated by Padres President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller. Due to the typical 12- to 18-month recovery period following this surgery, Musgrove might miss the entire 2025 campaign. Feeling saddened that we couldn’t complete the task at hand, Musgrove broke down in tears in the Padres dugout. “All I need to do is accept that this is the end for me.”
Musgrove is one of many MLB pitchers who have had UCL injuries this season, including Spencer Strider from Atlanta, Shane Bieber from Cleveland, Alek Manoah from Toronto, and Eury Pérez from Miami.
“It’s rampant in our game,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
Musgrove left the NL Wild Card Series’ second game because of soreness in his elbow. With two outs in the fourth inning against Atlanta’s Matt Olson, he had thrown two slow curveballs and trailed 2-1. Musgrove was forced to leave the game after visiting with Padres manager Mike Shildt, pitching coach Ruben Niebla, and an athletic trainer. This is really hard to explain to someone who isn’t a pitcher. Musgrove stated on Wednesday, “I just had a hard time getting to full extension and letting pitches go.” “It was lacking a great deal of confidence. The inning had two outs for me.
I was hoping to get through the inning and then deal with it afterward, but I didn’t make it to that point.”
Musgrove had been pitching with discomfort for a few weeks. The 31-year-old had two periods on the injured list due to right elbow inflammation this season, missing a total of 63 games. His second stint kept him out for 2 1/2 months. He had a 2.17 ERA over 54 innings since August 12.
“I was told back in the middle of summer that there was some damage there and that it was just a matter of time,” he said. “This seemed like something I could manage. Physically, I felt capable of throwing. It didn’t feel like anything extreme like a UCL injury, but it got a little more intense in the last few weeks.”
Musgrove mentioned that he would reach out to players who have had Tommy John surgery to learn more about the process. This surgery involves reattaching a tendon from another part of the body to the elbow.
“I’m not sure when the procedure is scheduled. “I would prefer to receive it as soon as possible,” he stated. “I’m going to give these guys my whole support.” Musgrove is currently in the second year of a $100 million, five-year contract that will pay him $20 million annually between 2023 and 2027. The team has suffered a big loss with the loss of Musgrove. After being acquired in a three-team trade that January, the El Cajon native is revered by Padres supporters for pitching the first no-hitter in the team’s history in 2021. “We’re definitely not here if it’s not for Joe Musgrove,” stated Preller.
Manager Mike Shildt remarked, “He’s a special individual, but I can tell you we’ll be just fine and compete.” “He won’t be on the mound with us, but he will be in our hearts.” Major League Baseball players adore Musgrove as well, and Roberts referred to his absence as “a bummer.” “Joe is a great guy as well as a good pitcher,” Roberts remarked. “So it sucks to be at the 1-yard line in this series and for him to not be involved.” Dylan Cease, a right-handed pitcher, will start Game 1 for the Padres, and Yu Darvish, a righty, will start Game 2. About Musgrove, Cease remarked, “He’s a great leader, great teammate.” “He’ll be here for us in different ways.”
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