Padres News: Bob Melvin Undecided about 6-Man Rotation, Easing Joe Musgrove Back

This is still to be determined in Spring Training.

Near the end of a wild and successful offseason for the San Diego Padres, they were able to pull off some important moves that gave them a good glimpse at what their 6-man rotation could look like. Obviously, they have enough hitting power among their star players and some stellar defense but pitching is an area they wanted to improve.

Bringing in Michael Wacha certainly helped their vision a lot and he has been great in Spring Training thus far. However, an unexpected weight room injury to Joe Musgrove has completely thrown off their plans. Add in Yu Darvish's extended stay with Japan in the World Baseball Classic and that is probably their two best pitchers who's availabilities are up in the air as the season starts.

Through all of this, team manager Bob Melvin is weighing all his options and explained where the team's head is at as far as the pitching plans in a media session provided by '97.3 The Fan.'

Padres manager Bob Melvin was asked about whether the team will start the season with a 5 or 6-man rotation, considering the various elements surrounding the team's pitching staff at this point of Spring Training. He also discusses Joe Musgrove: pic.twitter.com/oVIpSqU4fg

— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) March 18, 2023

"We have some outings left, I think by the last couple of games we should know," said Melvin. "Because we want to be able to slot them in their spots... Joe's not going to be there. He's the guy we need to be cautious of, we need to be careful with him. It might be difficult to go six at this point without Joe."

Spring Training just got even more important in Peoria for this team as certain players may get an upgraded role if they perform. Jay Groome has been mentioned to be competing for a spot and we will see if he, along with others, can succeed to doing so.