Padres' Joe Musgrove Takes Huge Step in Minor League Rehab Assignment

Maren Angus-Coombs | Aug 5, 2024

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Joe Musgrove began his rehab assignment with Single-A Lake Elsinore on Sunday.

That might have been all he needed.

Musgrove pitched into the fourth inning of the Storm's 6-3 loss against Fresno. He struck out two while throwing 35 of his 43 pitches for strikes.

“I think we have a few things that we’re looking to accomplish with my stuff,” Musgrove said before leaving for the rehab appearance. “Making sure I’m locating the ball and being consistent in the zone and how I’m maintaining endurance. You know, is my velocity and stuff maintaining, or am I fading off, and at what pitch am I fading off? Kind of give us an idea of, if I come back after one start, how much realistically we can get out of me.”

Good news:

Joe Musgrove looks much healthier and his fastball has life

One step closer to Java Joe’s return pic.twitter.com/aKZ9boLXjS

— Padres Nation (@NationPadres) August 5, 2024

Musgrove has been on the 60-day injured list since June 28 as he deals with a bone spur in his pitching elbow. He took a platelet-rich plasma injection and a cortisone shot trying to ease the irritation but his rehab start was the first major test on his road back to the Padres.

The righty's fastball touched 96 mph, which is 4 mph faster than he was averaging before the bone spur diagnosis.

It's easy to see why opponents were having so much success against Musgrove early this season. The bone spur impacted his ability to fully extend and finish his pitches, causing him to lose consistency with his location.

"Physically I feel good, I feel healthy and I feel like I'm past the elbow issue. Now it's a matter of getting my stuff to a point that's capable of getting big hitters out," Musgrove told NBC 7 SportsWrap.

While Sunday's outing was a step in the right direction, the next few days are critical. He was expected to join the big league team in Pittsburgh to determine the next step.

"In the work between starts, really making sure I'm doing all the things I need to be doing in the weight room, in the training room, and recovery-wise to give myself the best chance to be out there," Musgrove said.

Musgrove will be recovering from his start while simultaneously monitoring his arm's progress and pushing it to build strength and stamina. If he doesn't experience any soreness then he could probably make one more start before being activated and rejoining San Diego's rotation for a playoff push.