SAN DIEGO -- The Padres' wild-card roster included a massive surprise: Joe Musgrove, the local ace who has not pitched in a game in two years.
Musgrove is one of 11 pitchers the Padres will carry into their best-of-three National League series against the Chicago Cubs, which begins with Game 1 on Tuesday night, and will presumably pitch out of the bullpen. Ethan Salas, the Padres' young prospect, also made the roster as one of three catchers and will likely be behind the plate for Nick Pivetta in Game 2.
If that happens, Salas will be just 20 years and 121 days old on that day, making him the youngest catcher to appear in a postseason game. The current record is held by Bob Didier, who was 20 years and 230 days old in Game 1 of the 1969 National League Championship Series, according to ESPN Research.
The Cubs' roster didn't include many surprises but did include five starting pitchers, making it likely that at least one of Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, Shota Imanaga and David Peterson will pitch out of the bullpen in this series. Matthew Boyd is starting Game 1 for Chicago, opposite Michael King.
The last time Musgrove pitched in a game, it was Oct. 2, 2024. The 34-year-old right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery shortly thereafter and spent the ensuing season rehabbing. Musgrove's goal was to return for the start of 2026, but he continually suffered setbacks, to the point where it seemed all hope was lost.
Musgrove made four rehab appearances last month, the last of which saw him pitch five innings of one-run ball in Triple-A on Aug. 27. But he continued to struggle recovering from his outings. Days later, while speaking to reporters, Musgrove admitted: "I'm running out of answers."
But he continued to play catch and keep his arm active, and he was making appearances in instructional league games last week. The reports coming out of them were encouraging. The question was how his elbow was bouncing back.
Clearly, though, the Padres believe it's good enough for him to step on the mound with their season on the line.
