Padres News: Joe Musgrove's Return Plan Coming Together

Expect to see him back on the mound by mid-April.

Let's face it, as much as we would have loved to have seen Joe Musgrove start the season healthy and with the Padres, we have to be grateful at how smooth his recovery has gone. It feels like there has been nothing but positive reports regarding his rehab process and he threw his own return date out in the air early on.

San Diego's pitching performances have fluctuated to start off the season but names like Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha have proven to be effective in Musgrove's absence. Dropping a kettle ball on your foot will do a number to you, but he looks to be trending in a very healthy direction.

Joe Musgrove rocking his Kawhi Leonard @Aztec_MBB jersey pic.twitter.com/1GqYxvdSP6

— Marty Caswell (@MartyCaswell) March 31, 2023

New reports have surfaced and it appears that the Friars will take a similar approach with Musgrove as they did with Fernando Tatis Jr. and have him get some run in the minor league before making his season debut.

"While it is possible Musgrove could start April 11 in New York against the Mets, all indications are the Padres will have him make two starts in Triple-A before a season debut on April 16 at home against the Brewers."

 (Via The San Diego-Union Tribune)

Musgrove is looking to follow up his first All-Star season in 2022 with an even bigger one. Championship aspirations are on his mind and seeing that he last posted a 2.93 ERA with a 25 percent strikeout rate when he suited up in the brown and gold, it's going to be a scary sight when he returns.