'Devastated' Joe Musgrove Opens Up About Not Being Able to Help Padres in Postseason

Musgrove will undergo Tommy John surgery.

Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Shortly after the San Diego Padres ruled starting pitcher Joe Musgrove out of the National League Division Series on Friday, it was announced that Musgrove would have to undergo Tommy John surgery. The surgery will keep Musgrove out of the entire 2024 MLB playoffs, and likely the 2025 season.

“I’m devastated about not being able to finish what we started,” Musgrove said Friday, via Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Musgrove last pitched for the Padres on Wednesday. He pitched 3.2 innings and allowed one earned run before he was taken out of the game when catcher Kyle Higashioka noticed something up with his motion. Musgrove helped the Padres earn a 5-4 win over the Atlanta Braves to advance to the NLDS.

“It’s kind of hard to soak everything in at once,” Musgrove said. “I’m sure things will get clearer for me over the next few days. Right now, it’s just knowing that that Wednesday game is my last time I’m going to compete with some of these guys as teammates in my career, and that’s hard to swallow.”

Musgrove had previously dealt with an elbow injury this season. Musgrove landed on the injured list in early June because of a bone spur in his elbow, and the Padres later moved him to the 60-day IL.

Musgrove did undergo an MRI on his elbow in June, and it revealed that Musgrove had a tear in his UCL that was nearing the point of the surgery. Though Musgrove knew his elbow was nearing surgery, he did not know he wouldn't be able to finish the postseason or would have to come out of Wednesday's game.

“The writing was kind of on the wall for me with the injury and just a matter of when,” Musgrove said, via Acee. “But going into that start, this wasn’t even a thought in my head as one of the possible outcomes. I was more concerned with the result of how I threw the ball. It’s just all very sudden and drastic. It’s kind of hard to soak everything in at once.”

Since coming back from the injury in August, Musgrove posted a stellar 2.15 ERA over nine starts in August and September. He helped the Padres' starting rotation look like one of the best in the postseason, but now, the Padres will have to manage without Musgrove available.