JoeMusgrove

News: 16 hours agoMusgrove (elbow) is considered a full participant in Padres camp but will have his workload watched early in the season after missing the entirety of the 2025 campaign, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Spin: Musgrove is coming back from Tommy John surgery but will not have a strict innings limit in 2026 in his age-33 season. The Padres will be sensible about how hard they push him early on, however, and an initial six-man rotation is one avenue they're considering. Musgrove boasts a 3.20 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 25.5 percent strikeout rate and 6.1 percent walk rate in his four seasons with the Padres.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Musgrove missed all of last season while rehabbing from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in October 2024, but he should be good to go for the start of 2026 given that he was throwing multi-inning bullpen sessions late last season. The veteran right-hander has a 3.25 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 9.6 K/9 since the start of the 2020 campaign, but there are major question marks regarding his durability as he enters his age-33 season. Musgrove made just 36 starts across 2023 and 2024 due to injuries (even before the Tommy John injury), and he's now coming off a lost season and major elbow surgery. Regaining his strong form in the first year back wouldn't be unheard of, but Musgrove's additional injury issues add another layer to consider. His ceiling is that of a top-end starter, but the floor here is zero.