The San Diego Padres are currently in the middle of their best stretch of the young season, as they have won eight of the last nine games. Fresh off a four-game sweep over the Colorado Rockies, the Padres have now won three consecutive series and will now look to keep their momentum going as they take on the struggling Seattle Mariners.
Unfortunately for San Diego, not all things are positive as they enter the series with question marks regarding their starting rotation. So far, the team has made do with veterans Walker Buehler and Germán Márquez, both of whom have had an up-and-down start to the season. Prior to the season, both Buehler and Márquez were in competition for the team’s No. 5 job, but starting pitcher Joe Musgrove had a setback in his recovery from injury, which resulted in another spot opening up in the rotation.
Now, as the Padres get ready to take on the Mariners, a new report has provided insight into the status of Musgrove.
Update on San Diego Padres’ Joe Musgrove
During the offseason, the San Diego Padres were expected to have starting pitcher Joe Musgrove available for the start of the 2026 season. However, his arm did not recover well after pitching in his first exhibition game, and his recovery was shut down.
The expectation remains that Musgrove will be part of the team during the season, but a new report by Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune revealed that the Padres pitcher is not yet back to throwing bullpens.
With that update, Musgrove is likely out until at least mid-May, as he still needs to begin throwing bullpens, and he would likely have a few rehab starts before rejoining the team’s rotation.
Musgrove has not had a fully healthy season since 2022, as he fell short of 100 innings pitched in 2023 and 2024. Despite his lingering health issues, Musgrove has been effective when he has been on the mound as he has a 16-8 record and a 3.47 ERA since 2023.
Padres Health Updates
Additionally, Sanders also reported that the status of pitcher Nick Pivetta, who left Sunday’s game against the Rockies with elbow tightness, is day-to-day.
Pivetta was in the middle of his best outing of the season, as he had retired the first nine batters of the game, before he was pulled in the middle of an at-bat to begin the fourth inning.
Padres manager Craig Stammen expressed optimism as he did not rule out Pivetta for his next scheduled start, which would come in the next series against the Los Angeles Angels. However, if he is unable to start, However, if he is unable to start, the Padres would likely turn to JP Sears, who was acquired in the Mason Miller trade and started five games for San Diego. Unfortunately, Sears struggled with a 5.47 ERA. Another possible option could be Matt Waldron, who has started 33 games for San Diego in three seasons. Waldron is currently recovering from hemorrhoid surgery, but has thrown 12 scoreless innings for the El Paso Chihuahuas.
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