Padres News: Joe Musgrove Trying to Not Rush Recovery and Make Things Worse

Joe Musgrove wants to return to the team but the Padres can't lose him for a longer period of time.

Padres ace Joe Musgrove has been out for a little more than a week and during that time, the team has fallen into a bit of a tailspin. The club has lost 5 of 6 games including getting swept in Seattle. 

That all has Musgrove a little antsy.

The right-hander was placed on the injured list last week with inflammation in his pitching shoulder. The injury is supposed to keep him sidelined for at least a few weeks, but he's pushing to return as quickly as possible all while not making things worse.

“I’m going to try to expedite it as much as possible,” he said. “But I’ve got one shot at getting this thing right and getting back to play this year. So If I push it and then I have to shut down again, there is no chance of throwing again (this season). So I’m going to be really smart about how I build back.”

According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the current recovery plan will keep a baseball out of Musgrove's hand until at least August 24th. After then, he'll undergo another MRI and the next steps will be laid out from there.

“I’m doing everything I can to give myself the opportunity to heal,” Musgrove said. “The doctors seemed pretty optimistic that three weeks is a manageable amount of time to get it to a spot where you can avoid any surgeries or operations and just let it physically rest and get back to it. So trying to be religious with that and not push it a day sooner than three weeks, really give it the rest it needs.”

While Musgrove has been out, the starting rotation has pieced things together admirably. Save for Rich Hill on Sunday, every starter has kept the team in the game to a degree. The real trouble has lied in the bullpen, where a guy like Joe Musgrove wouldn't be all that much help.

If the team keeps on losing and falls completely out of contention by the end of August, the Padres can reset the recovery and return plan for Musgrove. They're hoping they can give him something to come back for.