San Diego Padres ace Joe Musgrove was declared out indefinitely after suffering a fractured left big toe late February in a weight room accident.
Such is the Padres’ luck!
All kidding aside, it can happen to every player and every team.
Fortunately for Padres fans, there is some good news to report on the Musgrove front.
“Joe Musgrove is currently throwing a simulated game in Peoria. Slightly different than a normal sim game, as the hitters aren’t swinging…but still another positive step towards Musgrove’s return to the Padres rotation,” Padres insider Sammy Levitt tweeted.
Joe Musgrove is currently throwing a simulated game in Peoria.
Slightly different than a normal sim game, as the hitters aren’t swinging…but still another positive step towards Musgrove’s return to the Padres rotation. pic.twitter.com/k699CkcwWo
— Sammy Levitt (@SammyLev) March 22, 2023
Musgrove has been progressing nicely throughout the month of March, in fact.
He has played catch, thrown from flat ground, then from a mound, and has had bullpen sessions already.
This simulated game lasted three innings, so he is on his way to catching up to a normal starter’s workload.
He threw around 50 pitches against hitters that weren’t allowed to swing because he’s still not quite ready to field his position.
He has a slight shot to being ready for the start of the season or shortly after that, but he needs to advance to facing live hitters.
Most importantly, the toe has been responding well and he hasn’t reported any issues.
His progress has been outstanding considering he actually fractured his toe just a couple of weeks ago.
It appears the Padres will be able to rely on one of their best pitchers for the vast majority of the season.
Musgrove had a brilliant 2.93 ERA in 181 innings last season, with 184 strikeouts and a 1.08 WHIP.
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