Joe Musgrove’s rehab just hit another snag, folks. After his last Triple-A start for the El Paso Chihuahuas in Oklahoma City, he’s dealing with arm soreness. This isn’t just a minor bump in the road, it’s a huge question mark hanging over the San Diego Padres as they stare down the final 20-plus days of the season. Talk about a gut punch when you’re trying to figure out your late-season rotation!
The Rotation Was Already a Total Mess
Honestly, it’s a wonder the Padres’ pitching staff has held together at all this 2026 season. It’s been “bubble gum and duct tape” holding things together, with Michael King and Walker Buehler being the only real constants. Other guys like Randy Vasquez, Griffin Canning, and German Marquez (who isn’t even with the team anymore) have been bounced between starting and the bullpen because they just couldn’t find consistency on the mound. Inconsistency has been the one true constant for San Diego’s rotation this year.
Padres GM A.J. Preller knew they needed help, so he tried to fix the problem at the trade deadline. He went out and snagged Casey Mize from the Detroit Tigers and Robbie Ray from the San Francisco Giants, arguably two of the top starters available. Yeah, they had to give up some precious minor league capital, but pundits and fans alike totally praised those moves. Everyone thought Mize and Ray were the missing pieces, a sign of better things to come for the stretch run.
Rehab Rollercoaster Has Fans on Edge
The additions of Mize and Ray were supposed to be joined by Musgrove and Nick Pivetta, who’ve both been working back from injuries this season. Musgrove’s recovery from Tommy John surgery way back after the 2024 season has been way slower than anyone expected. Pivetta, on the other hand, went down early this season and has been slowly building back up in the minor league system. Both guys have had setbacks, and Musgrove’s latest arm soreness, revealed on Wednesday, feels like a real kick to the stomach.
Pivetta also pitched for El Paso recently and actually looked good. That’s a huge relief considering his last outing in Lake Elsinore, when he walked off the mound suddenly due to discomfort. Turns out, that scare was “inconsequential,” and he even threw more pitches in a bullpen session that same day.
The original plan was for King, Buehler, Mize, and Ray to be joined by Musgrove and Pivetta, maybe even creating a six-man rotation or moving Buehler to the bullpen. But with Musgrove’s latest setback, that might not happen. Now, it looks like the rotation will be King, Buehler, Mize, Ray, and Pivetta. Vasquez, who had been pitching better before his last outing against the Cincinnati Reds, could also still make a case for a rotation spot. It really all hinges on Musgrove’s health.
The big question remains: if Musgrove *can* bounce back quickly and only has a minor setback from this arm soreness, who’s going to have a bigger impact in these final 20-plus days, him or Pivetta? That’s what Gaslamp Ball wants to know, and frankly, so does everyone else. With so little time left in the season, every pitch, every arm, is absolutely critical.
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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