Padres dealt a “sudden and drastic” blow to the starting rotation on the eve of the postseason series with the Dodgers

The San Diego Padres will be without one of their top players for the remainder of the postseason and well beyond.

Joe Musgrove started Game 2 of a National League Wild Card Series on Wednesday but was knocked out after just 3⅔ innings due to elbow strain in his throwing arm.

This is never a good sign and the worst case scenario has occurred.

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Joe Musgrove (left) of the San Diego Padres leaves the game during the fourth inning in Game 2 of a wild card series against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park on Oct. 2, 2024 in San Diego. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

San Diego announced Friday that Musgrove will undergo Tommy John surgery, which will also almost certainly sideline him for the entire 2025 season.

Musgrove has been hampered by injuries since the 2022 season, the best season of his career. His season ended early last year after he suffered shoulder capsulitis. This season didn't start off so hot. He posted a 5.66 ERA in his first ten starts. San Diego then placed him on the 60-day IL with a bone spur in his right elbow.

When he returned, Musgrove returned to form, posting a 2.15 ERA in his final nine starts of the season, including an outing in which he allowed six earned runs in 4⅓ innings early last month. Overall, the ERA was 3.88, but it was clearly trending in the right direction.

Joe Musgrove of the San Diego Padres leaves the game during the fourth inning of Game 2 of a wild card series against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park on Oct. 2, 2024 in San Diego. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

METS NAMED SURPRISING PITCHER AS GAME 1 STARTER AFTER THINKING OF MISSING THE REST OF THE SEASON

However, he was removed from the game on Wednesday night when he walked off the field with a trainer and clearly emotional.

“I am devastated. “I’m not going to finish what we started,” Musgrove said Friday of his “sudden and drastic” injury.

“It’s about realizing that it’s the right thing for me.”

Musgrove said when he had his elbow checked over the summer, doctors told him it was “a matter of time” before the worst happened.

“It was clear to me. It was just a matter of when,” he said.

Although Musgrove left the game early, San Diego defeated the Atlanta Braves and advanced to the National League Division Series.

It will be their third trip to an NLDS since 2020, all against the NL West rival Los Angeles Dodgers.

San Diego Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove leaves the game during the fourth inning of Game 2 in the Wild Card Round of the 2024 MLB Playoffs against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park. (Denis Poroy/Imagn Images)

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Musgrove thought pitching Game 3 of the NLDS on an extra day of rest was an option.

This series begins Saturday night in Los Angeles with first pitch at 8:38 p.m. ET.