The Padres are shutting down starter Joe Musgrove for three weeks after an MRI revealed inflammation in the capsule of his throwing shoulder, the team informed reporters, via Dennis Lin of The Athletic. While the club is hopeful he’ll be able to return at some point this season, he doesn’t figure to be back until well into September at the earliest.
San Diego placed Musgrove on the 15-day injured list before Friday’s matchup with the Dodgers. Trade pickup Rich Hill takes his spot on the active roster. San Diego also reinstated Eguy Rosario from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A. The Friars cleared a 40-man spot by designating Brent Honeywell for assignment a couple of days ago.
Musgrove began the season on the IL after breaking his toe in a spring training weight room accident. He was back on the Petco Park mound by late April and has again been one of the sport’s better starters. Over 17 appearances, the righty has tallied 97 1/3 innings of 3.05 ERA ball. He’s striking hitters out at a 24.3% clip against a tidy 5.3% walk rate.
It’s the kind of production the Friars have come to expect from the 30-year-old righty. Musgrove has an ERA of 3.18 or better in each of the past three seasons. He posted a career-low 2.93 mark over 30 starts last season. Midway through the year, the San Diego native signed a $100M extension — seemingly sacrificing some earning upside to stick with his hometown club.
It doesn’t seem the Friars were aware of the seriousness of Musgrove’s injury at the deadline. The club scratched him from his scheduled start Wednesday morning but initially hoped he’d return to the mound next week. That won’t happen, but it makes their Tuesday acquisition of Hill all the more important. The former Pirate will assume a rotation role behind Blake Snell, Yu Darvish, Seth Lugo and perhaps Nick Martinez. Righty Michael Wacha is also on the shelf with a shoulder issue.
Rosario, 23, debuted with seven games for the Friars last season. He’d missed the first four months after breaking his ankle over the offseason.
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