The San Diego Padres on Sunday placed frontline right-hander Joe Musgrove on the 15-day pitcher injured list with right elbow inflammation. In a corresponding move, the Padres recalled right-hander Randy Vasquez from Triple-A to take Musgrove's spot on the active roster.
The 31-year-old Musgrove has struggled thus far in 2024, as he's pitched to a 6.37 ERA across eight starts with 10 home runs allowed in 41 innings. Even though Musgrove is coming off perhaps his strongest start of the year, his struggles may indeed be related to the elbow woes. Whatever the cause, it's an uncharacteristic departure for Musgrove, who's been the Padres' ace when healthy since he was acquired from the Pirates prior to the 2021 season. As a Padre, he boasts an ERA of 3.33 with a 4.00 K/BB ratio in 86 starts and one relief appearance. In 2023, however, Musgrove was limited to just 17 starts and 101 1/3 innings because of shoulder problems.
The news comes as the Padres, who recently acquired All-Star infielder and batting titleist Luis Arraez, have enjoyed improved fortunes. They went into Sunday's slate having won four in a row and having pulled to .500 for the season. The rest of the Padres rotation is rounded out by offseason additions Dylan Cease and Michael King, Matt Waldron and Yu Darvish.
