Padres Manager Mike Shildt Provides Injury Updates on Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove

Both pitchers are "ready to go."

Padres pitchers Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove are ready to report to Spring Training without limitations.

San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt provided an update on the two starters in an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune that published Friday.

They’re ramping up full-gear, ready to go, no limitations. Bullpens are good. They mixed in a few hitters recently. They’re recovering well, so they’re ready, healthy.

Mike Shildt via San Diego Union-Tribune

Darvish, 37, saw his 2023 season end in August due to elbow inflammation. The injury was later determined to be a stress reaction. 

The veteran right-hander was 8-10 with a 4.56 earned run average and struck out 141 with 43 walks last year. He made 24 starts and pitched 136.1 innings.

"Yu Darvish is expected to avoid arthroscopic surgery on his elbow, which was a possibility to remove spurs, and he could be full-go by the start of the season."

San Diego Union-Tribune

Musgrove, 31, was arguably the best pitcher in the rotation last season but also ended the season on the injured list due to shoulder inflammation. 

The right-hander compiled a 10-3 record and a 3.05 ERA while pitching through pain. He was determined to pitch again before the season ended, but the Padres' futile postseason push made the risk of rushing back greater than the reward.

"Joe Musgrove’s shoulder is evidently fine, and he is doing his normal offseason routine with the expectation he will be full strength come spring training."

San Diego Union-Tribune

The Padres' pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training for the first official workout on Sunday, Feb. 11, in Peoria, Arizona.

Given the heavy losses to the starting rotation — Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, and likely Blake Snell — the importance of Darvish and Musgrove starting the season healthy cannot be understated. 

Most of Michael King's experience in the major leagues has come as a reliever. After him, Pedro Avila and Randy Vasquez are the projected fourth and fifth starters. Neither pitcher has spent more than a full season on a big league roster.

Adrian Morejon, who's made nine starts over the last five years due to injuries and ineffectiveness, has the longest track record of any other starting pitcher on the Padres' 40-man roster. That's a shallow depth chart.

If the Padres can avoid tapping into their starting pitcher depth early in the season, they will dramatically improve their chances of getting off to a hot start in 2024. That depends entirely on the health of Darvish and Musgrove.