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San Diego Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove has had an unfortunate 2024 MLB season. The 31-year-old looked solid on the mound for the Friars whenever he was fit and got the opportunity, but injuries have played spoilsports for a major chunk of his campaign.
Musgrove returned to availability at seemingly the perfect time, during the home stretch of the 2024 regular season, after having been forced to watch from the sidelines during the months prior. However, just as he looked to be back in good touch again, he suffered another injury setback in the Padres' Wild Card Series against the Atlanta Braves.
Upon further examination, it was confirmed that Musgrove injured his throwing arm.
Musgrove headed to Texas to get Tommy John surgery, after the Padres were knocked out by the Dodgers in the NLDS. The pitcher updated fans about his successful surgery on Instagram, to which teammates Luis Arraez, Michael King and Xander Bogaerts also left comments of support.
With the way a Tommy John surgery impacts motions of pitching/throwing, there is quite some time on the sidelines for the rehabbing Musgrove. But, as he has proven in his short time back this season, he is capable of being a great pitcher for San Diego as long as he stays healthy.
Padres insiders hold offense accountable for disappointing postseason exit
After winning straight games to grand a 2-1 NLDS lead, there was a point where the San Diego offense looked unstoppable, and there were concerns if the Dodgers' offense could keep up against the Padres' solid pitching contingent.
Fast forward to the end of the series, the Dodgers qualified for the NLCS after consecutive shutouts. The pitching contingent more or less did their job for San Diego, but the offense lost its rhythm at the worst possible time, playing 24 consecutive scoreless innings en route to elimination.
On Monday, October 14's edition of 'Ben and Woods', Padres analyst Steven Woods said a majority of the blame for San Diego's untimely exit from the postseason was on the shoulders of the misfiring offense.
"Not one person can say 'At least I did my job' in the last two games. Crony [Jake Cronenworth] was not good, [Jurickson] Profar was not good, [Luis] Arraez was not good, Xander [Bogaerts] was not good, Manny [Machado] was not good, [Jackson] Merrill was not good and [Fernando] Tatis was not good. When it all goes south like that, it's gonna be tough to win, no matter what your pitching does." Woods said [8:05]
Though the Padres showed potential to go the distance this campaign, with their pitching probably one of, if not the best out of anyone in the postseason, the campaign ended with disappointment. Fans will be hoping their side can regroup in the offseason and come back motivated in 2025 and finally deliver on their undoubtedly massive potential.
