Padres Manager Declines to Answer if Joe Musgrove Will Return Before Second Half of Season

The hits keep on coming for the San Diego Padres and starting pitcher Joe Musgrove, who suffered an injury setback in spring training. Musgrove has been recovering from Tommy John surgery that kept him out for the entire 2025 season.

After the setback occurred, there wasn't a firm timeline on the return of Musgrove, but it was expected that he wouldn't be out for ong. However, there have been multiple concerning injury updates on the veteran right-hander, and at this point, it doesn't seem like he will be back any time soon.

Padres manager Craig Stammen was recently asked if Musgrove would be back before the second half of the season. He declined to answer the question.

“Honestly, I haven’t thought about that,” Stammen said. “You know, I don’t think Joe’s really thought about that either. He’s just focused on getting healthy, doing whatever he needs to do on a daily basis.”

Stammen's lack of response doesn't exactly instill confidence in Musgrove potentially returning in the first half of the season. At the same time, though, Stammen has been mum on injury updates seemingly all year, not wanting to give any information on his players.

Musgrove had been one of the more reliable arms for San Diego over the last few years, and the team would love him back as soon as possible. However, the Padres aren't going to rush him back by any means as he recovers from a major elbow surgery.

This all started in spring training when Musgrove felt discomfort in his elbow after one exhibition start against Great Britain. Musgrove tried to push through the issue, but he decided to shut things down to deal with the injury before it got worse.

If Musgrove is able to return in the second half of the season, it would provide a major boost to the pitching staff. San Diego is in the business of winning a World Series title this season, and adding an All-Star pitcher like Musgrove to the rotation down the stretch could be huge.

In 2024, before his injury, Musgrove made 19 starts for San Diego, posting an ERA of 3.88. His presence within the staff can't be overstated, and the Padres will be very happy once he finally gets back on the mound — assuming he returns this season.

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