Injuries continue to plague the San Diego Padres as both Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish have been placed on the injured list. The Padres made the decision to sideline the two right-handers on Saturday, with Musgrove suffering from right elbow inflammation and Darvish dealing with a left groin/hamstring strain. This comes after Musgrove was scratched from his scheduled outing on Saturday against the Kansas City Royals. The Padres have recalled Randy Vásquez to start in Musgrove’s place and Logan Gillaspie to reinforce the bullpen. Additionally, they expect to call up another pitcher to start against the Los Angeles Angels in place of Darvish.
Manager Mike Shildt provided some insight into Musgrove’s injury, stating that he experienced discomfort in the back of his elbow during his latest bullpen session. This recurring inflammation has been a concern for Musgrove, who spent 16 days on the injured list last month due to elbow inflammation caused by triceps tendonitis. While the team believes there are no structural issues with his elbow, the inflammation is affecting his ability to finish his pitches. As a result, they have decided to give him another break to allow him time to recover.
Darvish, on the other hand, spent 15 days on the injured list in April due to neck tightness. He recently left a start early due to left hamstring tightness and did not travel with the team to Kansas City. Shildt mentioned that Darvish is feeling better, but they want to ensure he fully recovers before returning to the mound. While they don’t believe it’s a long-term serious injury, rest will be necessary.
Both Musgrove and Darvish have been reliable starters for the Padres when healthy. Darvish has a 3.20 ERA in 11 starts and recently achieved a career-long 25-inning scoreless streak. Musgrove, despite a 5.66 ERA in 10 starts, has shown promising signs before and after his previous stint on the injured list. However, their injuries highlight the lack of major-league-ready pitching depth in the organization.
With Musgrove and Darvish out, the Padres will be relying on Randy Vásquez to step up in the rotation. Vásquez has struggled with a 5.82 ERA in five starts this season and a 7.45 ERA in the Pacific Coast League. Another option for the Padres is Adam Mazur, who has a 3.86 ERA in 10 starts between the minors. However, the team remains interested in trade candidates like Jesús Luzardo from the Miami Marlins. Acquiring Luzardo may be challenging due to his club control until 2026 and the Padres’ limited prospect depth after trading for Luis Arraez.
The injuries to Musgrove and Darvish may push President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller to pursue another starting pitcher. Vásquez’s struggles and the inexperience of Mazur, Bergert, and Snelling make it necessary for the Padres to reinforce their rotation. In the meantime, the team is hesitant to rely heavily on their bullpen and will likely look for internal solutions to fill the innings left by Musgrove and Darvish’s absence.
Overall, injuries continue to pose challenges for the Padres as they navigate through a thin pitching depth. The team’s ability to address these issues will be crucial as they aim to remain competitive in the highly competitive NL West division.