Padres All-Star Joe Musgrove fractures toe after dropping weight on it
MLB didn't wait until the end of the first week of spring training to grant us the first bizarre injury of the season, and it involves a San Diego Padres All-Star.
Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove has been sidelined due to a fractured left big toe after he dropped a kettlebell on it in the team's weight room, according to MLB.com's A.J. Cassavell.
Padres manager Bob Melvin didn't provide a specific timetable for Musgrove's return when speaking with reporters after the news was announced, but he noted that it will be at least two weeks before Musgrove starts throwing:
"It's going to be a minimum of two weeks before he starts throwing again, so we'll see. It's kinda tough to forecast when you have a broken toe. It's going to be more about how it heals, and certainly, if it's a pain tolerance thing, Joe would be one of those guys who would be sooner than later, but obviously, we have to evaluate how he's feeling every day, and we'll see where we go."
Melvin later confirmed it will be at least two weeks after Musgrove starts throwing before he is ready for a return, which puts his Opening Day readiness in doubt.
Joe Musgrove has been the Padres' best pitcher the past two seasons
Losing Musgrove would be a tough blow for the Padres, who have counted the right-hander as their steadiest presence on the mound since acquiring him in a trade two years ago. In two seasons, the 30-year-old San Diego-area native holds a 3.06 ERA in 362.1 innings with 387 strikeouts, a 3.64 FIP and 1.082 WHIP. He earned his first All-Star nod last year.
The Padres rewarded that performance with a five-year, $100 million extension last year that goes into effect this season.
Losing Musgrove might not mean a huge shakeup for the Padres rotation, though, as the team was hoping to start the season with a six-man rotation of Musgrove, Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, Michael Wacha, Nick Martinez and Seth Lugo. Instead, they'll probably roll out the latter five pitchers until Musgrove returns.
Musgrove's injury also wasn't the worst news for an NL West contender on Tuesday, as the reigning division champion Los Angeles Dodgers confirmed that starting shortstop Gavin Lux will be out for the season due to a torn ACL.
