*Photo from the Houston Chronicle*
One of the SoCal stars might be out for a while. San Diego Padres RHP Joe Musgrove sustained a fractured toe in the team's weight room on Monday and will be shut down, according to manager Bob Melvin.
While in the weight room, Musgrove dropped a kettlebell on his toe, thus fracturing it. Melvin said that there is no concrete timetable for his return, but he will be shut down for at least two weeks before he begins throwing, putting his opening day status in jeopardy.
Melvin said in his press conference that "It's kinda tough to forecast when you have a broken toe. It's gonna 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 rather than later, but obviously we have to evaluate how he's feeling every day."
Musgrove was a candidate for the start on opening day for the Padres following a 5 year extension agreed to last summer, with Musgrove coming off his first All Star Game appearance in his 7th big league season. If he misses the beginning of the season, Yu Darvish would likely start opening day.
After the Padres signed Michael Wacha, they had planned to use a 6 man rotation for the season. Musgrove's injury complicates that decision, as any time missed would be a blow to the pitching staff. They begin the season with 24 games in 25 days, so a 6 man rotation could be beneficial still.
Melvin said that "We'll probably make that decision the farther we go into camp, if we have guys stretched out that we think can handle that. And/or is it more prudent to go with another length arm in the bullpen and five? We are up against, as far as scheduling goes, 24 out of the first 25, so we'll see how we get there."
Right now, the Padres have Darvish, Wacha, Blake Snell, Nick Martinez, and Seth Lugo lined up for the rotation alongside Musgrove. If he has to miss time, Reiss Knehr, Ryan Weathers, Jay Groome, and Brent Honeywell Jr are options on the 40 man roster. Julio Teheran is a non roster invite with a shot.
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