The San Diego Padres just made their 26-man Wild Card roster public, and talk about a bombshell: Joe Musgrove, who hasn’t seen a mound all season recovering from Tommy John surgery, is on the squad and expected to come out of the bullpen. Seriously, a former All-Star, after major surgery, not throwing a single pitch all year, is suddenly going to be a high-leverage arm in the postseason? That’s a huge gamble, but if it pays off, it could be absolutely massive for a Padres team that’s red hot.
Musgrove’s Wild Return and The Core Is Locked In
Let’s talk about Musgrove for a second. This is wild. He hasn’t played, not one game, and now he’s pitching out of the bullpen in the Wild Card series? It’s a shocking move, but it shows how much the Padres are going for it. He won’t be in his usual starter role, obviously, but imagine that arm coming in for an inning or two when the game’s on the line. Beyond that huge surprise, San Diego’s got Michael King and Nick Pivetta ready to lead the rotation, with Robbie Ray and Walker Buehler available too. Their bullpen, which has been a force all year, still looks nasty with Mason Miller headlining a group that includes Adrian Morejon, Jason Adam, Yuki Matsui, and Bradgley Rodriguez. That’s a lot of heat. Then you’ve got the position players, their star power is undeniable. Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill, and Xander Bogaerts are all healthy and ready to wreak havoc. These guys are expected to carry the load, and they are more than capable.
Who’s Missing Out? Some Key Absences for San Diego
It isn’t all good news on the roster front for the Padres, though. They’re going to be without a couple of key arms. Right-hander Casey Mize is sidelined with a right ankle sprain, which is a tough break, and reliever Jeremiah Estrada is also out, dealing with a shoulder issue. Those are two significant losses in the pitching department. Plus, veteran left-hander Wandy Peralta was left off the 26-man roster, taking an experienced bullpen option out of the mix. Infielder Sung-Mun Song also didn’t make the cut. While Peralta and Song are healthy, it looks like Musgrove’s unexpected return pushed Peralta off, and the team might be leaning more into right-handed hitters, which would explain Song’s omission. Still, with most of their main guys healthy and Musgrove making this crazy return, the Padres are rolling into this series with their core intact.
The Padres finished the season at 91-71, grabbing the first Wild Card spot in the National League. They’re coming into this series absolutely surging, having won 17 of their last 20 games! They’ll have home-field advantage against the Chicago Cubs in this best-of-three series. Even though the Cubs won the regular season series 5-1, don’t forget the Padres completely turned their season around after the All-Star break, and these teams haven’t played since then. This isn’t just any series, either. The Cubs actually eliminated San Diego in this exact spot last year, so you know the Padres are looking for some serious revenge. The winner moves on to face the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS. Get ready, Game 1 is going to be electric!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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