Padres reveal worst-case scenario for Joe Musgrove injury as title hopes take a hit

The San Diego Padres have been a trendy World Series pick up until this point. They were the hottest team in baseball over the final 62 games of 2024 and steamrolled the Atlanta Braves in the NL Wild Card series.

But they suffered a major loss during that matchup. Joe Musgrove left his Game 2 start after 3 1/3 innings with an apparent elbow injury, and the severity was unclear, leaving fans waiting with bated breath to know his status for the remainder of the postseason run.

The Padres promised an update on Friday, but it wasn't what anybody was hoping for. President of baseball operations AJ Preller addressed the media and revealed Musgrove will undergo Tommy John surgery. That means he probably won't pitch again until 2026.

In the meantime, the Padres have a rotation solution. We don't know what their alignment will look like beyond Game 2 (it's Dylan Cease and then Yu Darvish), but it's quite possible they'll be able to survive life without Musgrove.

Padres News: Joe Musgrove to undergo Tommy John surgery after injury update

It's just a shame the Los Angeles Dodgers catch a break for the NLDS. They deserve no such luck after their dominance over the NL West for the last decade.

But all hope is not lost for the Padres. After all, Musgrove only made 19 starts during the regular season, and he wasn't 100% healthy for about a third of them. His beginning to the year was rocky due to shoulder issues that dated back to last September. Then, his elbow flared up after his May 1 start, which landed him on the IL. He came back for two more starts in May but hit the IL again and didn't return until mid-August.

San Diego was an objective behemoth with him in the rotation fully healthy. That said, they definitely aren't down and out with him back on the shelf. It's a familiar scenario for them. But his presence felt integral due to the importance of pitching depth in the playoffs.

That leaves Cease, Darvish, Michael King, Martin Perez and arguably the league's best bullpen to pick up the slack. Preller was always prepared for this reality, and though the Padres' World Series hopes have taken a hit, they're still one of the most talented rosters remaining.