The San Diego Padres keep trying to push starters Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta back into action, but their arms keep pushing back.
The latest example of this is Musgrove, as the right-hander seems to experienced another serious setback in his ongoing, endless rehab, according to a report from Darragh McDonald of MLBTradeRumors.com that referenced reporting from Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union Tribune.
It’s a familiar variation on a storyline that won’t go away. Musgrove began his rehab starts in August, and he has managed to throw five innings. But Musgrove also tweaked his back in a setback that cost in 12 days, and overall the conclusion is about a recovery that’s not happening as the Padres would like, per manager Craig Stammen.
“He’s just not recovering as quickly as he would like,” said Stammen. “But he’s able to recover eventually. So we’ve just got to — not really kick the can down the road, but, like, push those days off down the road a little bit and get him out there when we can.”
Stammen added that Musgrove is feeling fatigue in his arm generally and in his elbow specifically.
Like Pivetta, Musgrove is running out of time and games. The Padres are a club with an aging rotation that’s been broken from Opening Day, and that issue has been compounded by the fact that one of their two deadline additions, starter Casey Mize, hasn’t been pitching particularly well since coming on board.
The issue isn’t just about this year, as McDonald pointed out. Musgrove is signed through next season, but at this point it’s fair to wonder if his surgery will be a career ender. King can opt out at the end of this season, and Nick Pivetta’s $14 million option for next year converted to a team option because of his injuries. On top of that, Ray, Mize and Buehler will all be free agents this offseason.
The counterbalance is that the Padres have new owners that’s committed to winning, so in theory they’ll spend to keep most of these guys. But who knows if that commitment will hold given the upcoming labor strife this offseason, especially if MLB can’t hold up its pledge to not miss games next year?
It’s all a big bowl of uncertainty, with Musgrove right in the middle of it. It may be time for the Padres to admit that it’s not going to happen for their star right-hander this year, no matter how many times they keep going to the rehab well.