WEST SACRAMENTO -- Joe Musgrove played light catch on Monday afternoon. He threw a baseball 25 times to his new catch partner, right-hander Nick Pivetta, 60 feet away.
Light work, in baseball terms. And yet, for Musgrove, it was the day he’s been waiting for for six months. The veteran Padres right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery last October and has been rehabbing ever since, without being able to play catch. Until Monday.
“Physically, it felt great,” Musgrove said. “Mentally, it feels really good to get to this point. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to pick up a baseball and actually throw it -- a real baseball. I’m just thinking about all the work I’ve done over the last six months and trying to process everything.”
Musgrove wouldn’t put a timetable on the next aspects of his progression. He isn’t even sure what the next step is. For now, all Musgrove knows is that he gets to play catch three times a week for the foreseeable future -- which is better than the past six months.
Musgrove says his focus remains on being fully ready for the 2026 season. But he’s holding out hope he might be able to pitch in October if the Padres were to reach the postseason, perhaps in some sort of bullpen role. Musgrove acknowledges it might be unrealistic, but he’s at least keeping open the possibility.
“That’s been my goal from the get-go,” Musgrove said. “I still feel like it’s somewhat within reach. I think the doctors are going to tell me no. … Starting is out of the question. I could do like an opener type role maybe. But most realistic would be a chance to come out of the bullpen somewhere late in the postseason.
“Whether I’m in the games or not, it’s still part of my plan to get healthy … so I can go in and have a normal offseason, build up properly, be as ready as I can for ‘26.”
For now, Musgrove remains with the big league club, even as he goes through his daily rehab -- which isn’t the usual tactic for pitchers recovering from surgery.
“It means a lot to our group,” said Padres manager Mike Shildt. “Joe could easily and rightfully be in San Diego right now. Or gone over to Phoenix. And he’s been on the road trip. He’s preparing for every series like he’s pitching in that series. So his leadership is tremendous. … He’s a really, really special guy.”
Musgrove wouldn’t want it any other way. He’s not one to sit still. During Spring Training, he served as a coach during the team’s Spring Breakout game and spoke of wanting to challenge himself in different ways. He recently made an appearance in the broadcast booth during a home game.
He also spends time game-planning for Padres opponents, and he sits in all the pitching meetings.
“My main priority is my rehab,” Musgrove said. “I try to be involved as much as I can. But there’s days where the rehab schedule is just pretty heavy, and I’m not able to do as much. But I always try to do my video work on the teams and make my notes and sit in all the meetings, offer what experience and advice I have.”
On the rehab front, Musgrove said the recovery has been pretty straightforward -- even if he sometimes finds himself antsy to move things along.
“It’s been a relatively simple comeback,” Musgrove said. “I wouldn’t say easy. But it’s been simple -- like, not many hiccups, not many setbacks. I feel good about it.”
In the meantime, Musgrove has been the same version of himself as a teammate, one of the clear leaders in a veteran clubhouse. A San Diego native, Musgrove played an integral role bringing the team together during the offseason.
He was with the club in Arizona during Spring Training and anticipates a full travel schedule. He has spoken before about how he hates being away from the team -- away from the clubhouse, the inside jokes, the intensity, the grind.
“Probably for a lot of guys out here, baseball is how you deal with a lot of life problems,” Musgrove said. “So without that outlet, it’s just been difficult to try to find that [in] other ways. But putting more effort into being a good teammate and providing whatever kind of assistance I can has kind of been my main focus. I’ve found it in a different way, in a sense.”