On Saturday,, the San Diego Padres announced that starting pitchers Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove have been placed on the 15-day IL. The team explained that Musgrove is dealing with right elbow inflammation while Darvish is dealing with a left groin strain.
Musgrove's move to the IL is retroactive to May 29, while Darvish's is retroactive to May 30. This is not ideal for a club trying to inch closer to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West.
With a record of 31-29 and 5.5 games behind the Blue Crew, San Diego was grooving. Now, they must figure out what to do with two valuable starters down and out.
3 possible solutions for the Padres with Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove injured
#3 - Jackson Wolf
Jackson Wolf is a starting pitcher currently pitching for the Padres Triple-A team. He could be somebody the club turns to, but his 6.69 ERA in the minors may be a cause for concern.
#2 - Logan Gillaspie
Logan Gillaspie has already been called up from Triple-A to help fill the rotation. He has pitched 15.2 innings in the minors this year, compiling a 1-0 record with a 5.17 ERA while striking out 12 batters.
#1 - Randy Vasquez
Randy Vasquez was another arm that was called up from Triple-A, and he was given the start on Saturday against the Kansas City Royals. So far in the minors, he has pitched 19.1 innings, striking out 22 batters.
He has some MLB experience, having debuted against the New York Yankees last season. Vasquez should be good for a couple of starts in this rotation.
Given the injuries to the two Padres starters do not seem too severe, do not expect them to blow anything up. Unless Yu Darvish or Joe Musgrove see a major setback, this is just a minor bump for San Diego.