Ahead of NLDS, Padres say Joe Musgrove needs Tommy John

LOS ANGELES --  San Diego Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove suffered damage to his ulnar collateral ligament during his Wednesday start and will soon undergo Tommy John surgery, ending his season and all but ruling him out for the entirety of 2025.

Musgrove exited in the fourth inning of his start in Game 2 of the Padres' wild-card series after back-to-back mid-70 mph curveballs to Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson. An initial MRI didn't show further damage to his UCL, but a follow-up Thursday, after the inflammation had subsided, revealed enough of a tear to warrant surgery.

"I'm devastated about not finishing what we initially started," Musgrove said Friday, before the rest of his team went through a workout from Dodger Stadium ahead of the National League Division Series. "I'm not all that concerned about the work or the rehab or the time off. I know how to work hard. It's just a matter of coming to grips with the fact that this is it for me."

Musgrove's absence the rest of October likely means  Martin Perez, who posted a 3.46 ERA in 10 starts since being acquired before the trade deadline, will jump into the Padres' postseason rotation.

The Padres will start Dylan Cease in Game 1 on Saturday, Yu Darvish in Game 2 on Sunday and Michael King when the series shifts to San Diego for Game 3 on Tuesday. Perez seems like the logical choice to start a potential Game 4.

"We're definitely not here if it's not for Joe Musgrove," Padres general manager A.J. Preller said. "He's obviously very disappointed; everybody in that room feels for him. We've had a lot of guys step up this year. And it's gonna take now other guys in that staff to step up because it's definitely a big blow."

Musgrove made two separate trips to the injured list because of issues stemming from bone spurs earlier this season, missing about three weeks in May, making two starts and going on the shelf again. Musgrove's second IL stint was followed by a more deliberate ramp-up, a platelet-rich-plasma injection to promote healing and a slight delivery adjustment to take some of the stress off his right elbow. But MRIs in the summer also showed some damage to his UCL and that "it was kind of a matter of time" before a tear might occur, Musgrove said.

Added Musgrove: "The writing was on the wall for me with the injury."

Musgrove, 31, went on one of the best runs of his career upon returning in mid-August, posting a 2.15 ERA with 57 strikeouts and eight walks in 50⅓ innings over his last nine regular-season starts. Musgrove went into October believing he could push through for at least another month. He took the mound at Petco Park on Wednesday feeling like his normal self, until he began to feel tightness in his right elbow after his third inning of work. He returned for the top of the fourth not knowing what to expect.

"I was just trying to get it over the plate and get out of the inning," Musgrove said. "I didn't necessarily know it was a UCL injury, but it was something I hadn't felt before, to a point where I think that was the first time in my career I've ever walked off a mound."

Musgrove, signed through 2027, said he hasn't scheduled surgery or decided on which doctor will perform it, but he hopes to get it done "sooner rather than later."

He also plans to be around his teammates for however long their run lasts.

"It's unfortunate that he's not, performance-wise, going to be out there," Cease said. "But he's a big part of our clubhouse and a leader. He'll be with us in other ways."