SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - As the Padres open the 2026 season, one of the biggest storylines is the health of the players who are not on the field. Pitchers Joe Musgrove, Jason Adam and Yu Darvish are all dealing with injuries.
Dr. Amar Arora from the Sharp Sports Medicine Clinic shared insights on what fans can realistically expect from the pitchers this year.
Arora said of Musgrove, who is currently ramping up after undergoing Tommy John surgery: "I guess we can start with Joe Musgrove. He came off his Tommy John surgery last year, or I guess a year and a half ago. He's starting to ramp up, and I think what he's going through right now is very much expected. He hasn't really pitched in live game-time situations, and spring training was meant to see how he would respond."
"Obviously, it seems like he needs more time to rest and rehab, which makes sense. You don't really start throwing after a surgery of that magnitude until 6-9 months. And that's just a gentle throwing. That's not even getting to pitching shape, where the demands and rigors of pitching in a major-league game are so hard to predict. So I don't think Joe Musgrove is something to be overly concerned about at this moment. He's certainly going to take his time, and I think the club knows that," Arora added.
Adam is recovering from a major surgery to repair a tendon in his knee. While he is eager to return to the mound, the team is opting to give him more time.
"I think the beauty of the club this time is they have so much bullpen help that they can afford to have someone like Jason Adam take a little more time to get him back to full strength and not potentially have some setbacks that may occur. Again, he had a pretty major surgery to repair the tendon in his knee," Arora said. "And, of course, he's a force. So if they can get him back at full strength without any setbacks, and that means waiting a little longer, it makes sense from where they are right now."
Darvish is currently weighing his options amid rumors of a potential retirement.
"That's a hard question, and I think only Yu Darvish would know that answer, to be honest with you," Arora said.
"It's gonna be a decision up to him to decide whether he's going to be able to not only get healthy enough to feel like he could be someone on the team that could be helpful, but how his body's going to respond after going through the rigors of the rehab, the training. I think we just gotta be hopeful he's gonna be back on the mound. But if he doesn't, what a season, what a career, and what a path he's had with the Padres during this run he's had with us," Dr. Arora said.
The Padres placed Musgrove and Adam on the Injured List, with expected return dates in April. Darvis is on MLB's restricted list and isn't expected to return at all in 2026. He may come back in 2027.
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