San Diego Padres starting pitchers
Yu Darvish (elbow) and
Joe Musgrove (shoulder) have no lingering health concerns, according to manager Mike Shildt. The new Padres skipper shared the news with reporters on Sunday as pitchers and catchers are reporting for spring training. This is good news, as both Darvish and Musgrove dealt with season-ending injuries last season. Darvish was placed on the 15-day injured list in August with elbow inflammation caused by a bone spur. The injury ended up cutting his season short, and he finished the campaign with a disappointing 8-10 record, 4.56 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 141:43 K/BB over 136 1/3 innings (24 starts). Musgrove, who started the season late due to a toe injury, was shut down in early August due to shoulder-capsule inflammation in his right arm. Musgrove was effective when healthy, however, finishing with a 10-3 record, 3.05 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 97:21 K/BB over 97 1/3 innings (17 starts). Both pitchers will be key to the Padres' success in 2024, as they'll likely lose free agent and reigning NL Cy Young award winner
Blake Snell, and
Seth Lugo and
Michael Wacha already signed with the Royals during the offseason.