Padres’ Joe Musgrove undergoes Tommy John surgery for injury

The Padres and Joe Musgrove’s worst fears came true on Friday.

The veteran right-hander and 2022 All-Star will undergo Tommy John surgery, San Diego general manager AJ Preller announced.

Musgrove has struggled with elbow injuries all year, but appeared to have trouble with his throwing arm again on Wednesday in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series against the Braves.

With two outs in the third inning, Musgrove was taken out of the game after a few awkward pitches and what appeared to be some discomfort on the mound.

He had allowed just one run while striking out four.

“Replacing Joe Musgrove is a big task,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said, according to MLB.com. “The good news is we have guys we trust and we know we have a strong pitching group. Joe is Joe. He is a presence, a physical presence. He has pitched excellently for us since his return.

“He threw the ball really well the other day in Game 2. I can’t say we can replace Joe. He is a special person, but I can tell you that we will only compete. He will be in our hearts, but he will not be with us on the hill.”

Tommy John typically requires 14 or more months of recovery time, meaning Musgrove will likely miss the entire 2025 season.

Martín Pérez or Matt Waldron will likely take Musgrove’s spot in the Padres’ starting lineup behind Michael King, Yu Darvish and Dylan Cease.

Musgrove was on the injured list three times with elbow problems but remained healthy enough to play in the postseason.

In 19 starts this season, Musgrove posted a 3.88 ERA with 101 strikeouts over 99 ⅔ innings.

After his third IL stint, he was much better down the stretch, dominating with a 2.15 ERA in seven games since August 12th.

Musgrove is under contract with the Padres through 2027 after signing a five-year, $100 million extension with the club in 2022.

Cease will get the ball in Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Saturday, and Darvish will play in Game 2 on Sunday.