The Padres introduced that right-hander Joe Musgrove has been positioned on the 15-day injured record on account of proper elbow irritation. Righty Randy Vasquez has been referred to as up from Triple-A to take Musgrove’s spot on the lively roster and in San Diego’s rotation.
Extra particularly, Musgrove is affected by triceps tendinitis, because the Padres informed reporters (together with The Athletic’s Dennis Lin). For the reason that IL placement was described as precautionary, it’s doable Musgrove might miss simply the minimal 15 days if the triceps situation isn’t overly severe. Nonetheless, returning to the IL continues a tough stretch of injury-related distress for Musgrove that has now stretched throughout two seasons.
A damaged toe suffered in a Spring Coaching weight-room accident delayed Musgrove’s 2023 debut till late April, and he was restricted to 17 begins after a bout of shoulder irritation returned him to the IL in late July, and finally ended his season. The previous All-Star nonetheless delivered a 3.05 ERA in 97 1/3 innings between these IL stints, however Musgrove has gotten off to a gradual begin in 2024.
No pitcher in baseball has allowed extra dwelling runs (10) or earned runs (29) than Musgrove this season, as he has lurched to a 6.37 ERA over eight begins and 41 innings. This bother with the lengthy ball has naturally coincided with an enormous drop in Musgrove’s barrels and barrel price, and his strikeout and hard-hit ball charges are additionally beneath common.
It might be that Musgrove’s elbow downside contributed to those struggles, or doubtlessly some lingering impacts from his lengthy shutdown interval in 2023. Assuming that his harm doesn’t sideline him for too lengthy, this IL go to might be considered as one thing of an opportunity for Musgrove to reboot his season after his time without work.
Getting a wholesome and efficient Musgrove atop the rotation is essential to the Padres’ hopes, as Musgrove being an surprising weak hyperlink has contributed to an general inconsistent efficiency for the rotation. Dylan Cease has been great and Yu Darvish has began to stabilize after a troublesome begin of his personal, whereas Michael King and Matt Waldron have each been up-and-down.
Vazquez has additionally made a pair of begins, delivering a 5.87 ERA in 7 2/3 innings. The 25-year-old right-hander was acquired as a part of the Juan Soto commerce package deal from the Yankees this previous winter, and it stays to be seen if beginning pitching will likely be his long-term function. Although he has gotten the beginning in 92 of his 102 skilled video games, Vazquez hasn’t proven a lot at Triple-A (5.19 ERA in 95 1/3 profession innings) or his 45 1/3 frames within the majors. He’ll get one other look in Musgrove’s absence, although the Padres might strategy Vazquez’s begins as bullpen video games if he can’t ship an excellent chunk of constant innings on the entrance of video games.
