Padres' Joe Musgrove Could Undergo Another Surgery

The San Diego Padres could be forced to face another unfortunate reality when it comes to the recovery of right-handed pitcher Joe Musgrove.

The veteran has been recovering from a setback that he suffered in the spring, pushing back his start to the year.

Musgrove originally was expected to return to the starting rotation to open the year following Tommy John surgery that forced him to miss the entire 2025 season.

Musgrove has been working back from the setback, but his elbow just hasn't been cooperating with him thus far. There has been some level of progress in his recovery, though, as he's finally getting set to start throwing.

However, in a recent conversation with The Athletic, he also admitted it's possible he undergoes surgery to clean up his elbow.

Musgrove is dealing with a bone spur in his elbow, which is good news that his ligament isn't the issue. However, the veteran has taken note of the new wave of elbow surgeries around the league to remove loose bodies, and could ultimately be forced to do the same if the bone spur doesn't heal.

“I think it’s a better option than going in and getting a normal surgery to get the bone spurs removed,” Musgrove said. “It’s much quicker. I mean, [Detroit Tigers ace Tarik] Skubal’s already throwing bullpens and building back up. I don’t think I’m necessarily a candidate for that right now. If it gets to the point where that spur becomes an issue, that would be something we look at, for sure.”

There is no guarantee that Musgrove will need the surgery to fix his elbow injury, but it does seem to be an option. The veteran has been working to get back, but the elbow just keeps giving him more complications as time goes on.

Both the Padres and Musgrove have taken a cautious approach when it comes to his return, in part due to his long injury history. Nobody wants Musgrove to come back too early, only for the right-hander to re-injure himself again.

The team will work with Musgrove to determine the best course of action, including going down the surgery route. This NanoScope procedure has suddenly become very popular among players this year, with both Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal and Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star Blake Snell having it.

Musgrove it expected to return in the second half of the season, which will serve as a massive boost to the Padres starting rotation. Before the setback, Musgrove was expected to be one of the main catalysts of this group, so having him for the stretch run would be crucial.

The good news is it does seem like the right-hander is trending in the right direction, even if the pace isn't where he wants it to be. The bad news is it could be a while before Musgrove gets back on the mound for the Padres — and even longer if he has to undergo another surgery.

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