What Happened to Joe Musgrove? Padres star $20,000,000 pitcher pulled from start vs Rockies

Joe Musgrove has been pulled from his scheduled start against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday. The San Diego Padres pitcher is reportedly dealing with a "minor" right shoulder soreness.

Musgrove's issue isn't considered too serious by the Padres organization as they avoided putting the player on the injured list. The team expects him to make a return for Tuesday's series opener against the Seattle Mariners.

Fellow right-hander Nick Martinez (4-4, 3.93 ERA) is set to replace Musgrove for the series finale against the Rockies on Wednesday.

Joe Musgrove's stats in the 2023 MLB season

San Diego Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove

Joe Musgrove is having an impressive season with the San Diego Padres in 2023. The right-handed pitcher has racked up 97 strikeouts and 21 walks in 97.1 innings pitched at a 3.05 ERA.

Despite Musgrove's displays this season, the Padres are fourth in the NL West with a 53-56 record and still in the hunt for a playoff berth. San Diego is currently seven games behind divisional leaders Los Angeles Dodgers and six games behind the San Francisco Giants, who are in second place.

The Padres made a number of critical moves before the MLB trade deadline to bolster their offense. The team will be hoping that the new additions can land them a playoff spot.

Nonetheless, San Diego manager Bob Melvin will want Musgrove to return to action sooner rather than later. The 30-year-old provides stability with the ball and is expected to play a critical role for the franchise in the business end of the campaign.

Musgrove signed a mammoth five-year, $100,000,000 contract with the Padres in 2021. His deal included $100,000,000 in guaranteed money and an annual average salary of $20,000,000.

The All-Star is 60-57 with a 3.72 ERA in 187 career games (161 starts) with the Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego. Musgrove also won the World Series with the Astros in 2017.