5 San Diego Padres players who have been major disappointments this season

3) Joe Musgrove has been a major disappointment for the 2023 San Diego Padres

Widely considered to be the ace of the San Diego Padres' rotation, righty Joe Musgrove hasn't seen the mound much in 2023.

In just 17 starts this season, Musgrove has been solid, pitching to a 3.05 ERA and striking out 97 batters in 97.1 innings pitched. But need we say it again? Just 17 starts in 2023.

Musgrove has spent the bulk of this season on the injured list, an unfortunate development after a strong 2022 postseason in which he played a major role in getting the Padres to the NLCS. His return to the rotation in 2023 appears uncertain at best, and that's a major disappointment.

Injuries haven't typically been the big righty's calling card since arriving in San Diego; he made a combined 61 regular season starts in 2021 and 2022 (average of 30.5 starts per season). However, that number has been cut nearly in half in 2023, and it's evident that the Padres miss Musgrove's presence on the mound as a stabilizing, if not dominant force within their starting staff.