Musgrove TJ needs surgery, won't pitch for Padres

LOS ANGELES — San Diego Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove damaged his ulnar collateral ligament during his start Wednesday and will soon undergo Tommy John surgery, ending his season and ruling him out for all of 2025.

In the fourth inning of his start in Game 2 of the Padres' wild-card series, Musgrove exited after back-to-back mid-70 mph curveballs to Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson. An initial MRI didn't show further damage to his UCL, but a follow-up Thursday, after the inflammation subsided, revealed enough of a tear to warrant surgery.

“I'm devastated that we couldn't finish what we initially started,” Musgrove said Friday, before the rest of his team took practice out of Dodger Stadium ahead of the National League Division Series. “I'm not so concerned about work or rehab or time off. I know how to work hard. It's just a matter of coming to grips with the truth for me.”

Musgrove's absence for the rest of October likely means Martin Perez, who has posted a 3.46 ERA in 10 years since being acquired before the trade deadline, will jump into the Padres' postseason rotation.

The Padres will start Dylan Seaz in Game 1 on Saturday, Yu Darvish in Game 2 on Sunday and Michael King when the series shifts to San Diego for Game 3 on Tuesday. Perez seems like the logical choice for a potential Game 4 start.

“We certainly wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Joe Musgrove,” Padres general manager AJ Preller said. “He's obviously very disappointed; everybody in that room feels for him. We've had a lot of guys step up this year. And it's going to take other guys on that staff to step up as well because it's definitely a big blow.”

Musgrove has made two separate trips to the injured list due to issues stemming from a bone spur earlier this season, missing nearly three weeks in May, making two starts and being shelved again. Musgrove's second IL stint was followed by a more deliberate ramp-up, a platelet-rich-plasma injection for healing and a slight delivery adjustment to take some of the pressure off his right elbow. But MRIs over the summer also showed some damage to his UCL, and “it was just a matter of time” before it became a tear, Musgrove said.

Musgrove added: “The writing was on the wall for me with hits.”

The 31-year-old Musgrove went on one of the best runs of his career after returning in mid-August, posting a 2.15 ERA with 57 strikeouts and eight walks in 50⅓ innings over his last nine regular-season starts. Musgrove went into October believing he could go at least another month. He felt like his usual self on the mound at Petco Park on Wednesday, until he started feeling stiffness in his right elbow after his third inning of work. Not knowing what to expect, he returned fourth.

“I was trying to get out of the inning with it over the plate,” Musgrove said. “I didn't necessarily know it was a UCL injury, but it was something I hadn't experienced before, to the point where I think it was the first time in my career I'd ever walked off a mound.”

Musgrove, signed through 2027, said he hasn't scheduled the surgery or decided which doctor will perform it, but he hopes to get it done “sooner rather than later.”

He plans to be around his teammates as long as their run lasts.

“It's unfortunate that he's not there in terms of performance,” Sage said. “But he's a big part of our clubhouse and a leader. He'll be with us in other ways.”