Joe Musgrove injury: Details, potential date of return and impact on Padres championship aspirations

Joe Musgrove just suffered an unfortunate injury. The San Diego Padres star pitcher fractured his left big toe during Spring Training. The club did not offer a return timetable or any other details at the time.

Musgrove was hoping to improve upon his stellar All-Star turn last season, his first appearance in the Midsummer Classic. However, that will not happen when the regular season begins.

It is reported that Musgrove's injury occurred while he was in the weight room, presumably getting ready for the MLB season.

Dennis Lin of The Athletic reported:

"Unfortunate injury news for the Padres; Joe Musgrove fractured his big left toe in the weight room yesterday, according to the team. More info to come."

What is fortunate is that this injury occurred now. The MLB regular season is still about a month away, which means there's more time for Musgrove to heal. Had he broken his toe in July, that would be a different and much more unfortunate time for an injury.

Nevertheless, this could be a big blow for the Padres. Broken toes usually require more than a month to recover from, so it could be almost May before Musgrove is even able to start rehab assignments.

The team didn't release any specific details or a timetable for their pitcher's recovery, but the average time for a broken toe to heal is six weeks. That would make Musgrove miss the first portion of the regular season at a minimum.

What the Joe Musgrove injury means for the Padres

While it's never good to sustain injuries, the Padres can be thankful that it has occurred now. Even with the regular season coming soon, it's still early. All games count, but it's easier to start slow than finish slow and still make the playoffs.

This likely doesn't hurt their overall odds that much. They may lose Musgrove for a month of the regular season, which could be around five or six starts. That's a fraction of the entire season, so they can probably sustain the loss for a little while.