The San Diego Padres continue to slow-play Joe Musgrove as he returns from Tommy John surgery.After undergoing surgery in October 2024, the 2026 campaign was supposed to be one that Musgrove started on Opening Day (or at least the first series of the year). A setback this past spring has further kept him on the shelf, and he is still a ways away from returning.The right-hander recently spoke bout his progression to the San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee. “We’re going to be off the mound within the next couple weeks,” Musgrove said. “So we’re just introducing it slowly.”In other news, a right-handed pitcher who was a part of the Juan Soto trade and hasn't pitched in MLB in 2024 is expected to be called up by the Padres sooner. After missing the entirety of the 2025 campaign recovering from a flexor tendon repair with an internal brace surgery, his 1.32 ERA in three Triple-A games paired with the need for more pitching in San Diego points to a potential call-up.Finally, as the rumors of the trade deadline continue to heat up, an All-Star on the New York Mets has emerged as a top fit for the Friars. MLB insiders Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan of ESPN not only linked the struggling starting pitcher to the Padres, but gave the right-hander a '90% chance' of being dealt. For someone coming off of his best statistical year in MLB and finishing fifth in NL Cy Young award voting last season, the upside to a potential trade is obvious. With a 4.83 ERA (compared to a 2.70 mark last season) through 16 starts, the question now turns to what the Padres would be expected to give up for the hurler on an expiring contract.Here’s all the latest Padres news and stories (click the headline for the full article): Padres' Joe Musgrove Multiple Weeks Behind Nick Pivetta in Return Padres Expected to Call Up Pitcher Who Hasn't Pitched in MLB Since 2024 Padres Named Top Fit for Mets All-Star With '90% Chance' of Being Traded Padres' Jake Cronenworth Takes Major Step in Return From Concussion Padres' AJ Preller Facing 'Intense Scrutiny' According to Insider Padres Announce Another Change to Starting Rotation for Rivalry Series vs Dodgers Padres' Manny Machado Has Officially Changed His Mindset in 2026Padres Tweets of the DayJoe Musgrove is BEHIND Nick Pivetta in terms of his recovery😳😳😳Musgrove hasn't pitched since October 2024 for the Padres...Here's the latest on his return timeline⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/PSaql0Yy1y— Padres On SI (@PadresOnSI) June 26, 2026— San Diego Strong (@PadresStrong) June 26, 2026Wins This Year Without A Quality Start From Their Starter:14 SD1312 MIN11 CIN CLE LAA MIL STL TB WSH10 ATL CHC COL HOU9 BAL CWS NYM8 ARI ATH NYY SEA7 LAD MIA TEX6 TOR5 DET KC PIT SF4 PHI32 BOS— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) June 24, 2026The Padres offense is by no means back. But it appears Fernando Tatís is. pic.twitter.com/vvyLrVCVAw— Marty Caswell (@MartyCaswell) June 25, 2026WAR Leaders - Right Fielder pic.twitter.com/wRt1azE4ak— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) June 25, 2026What do we think about the performance from JP Sears yesterday? pic.twitter.com/pYgSozidIB— SleeperPadres (@SleeperPadres) June 25, 2026Join me for a tour of the Mini Yacht! #SDBay #Yacht @Padres pic.twitter.com/j6xVOhg1bd— Don Orsillo (@DonOrsillo) June 26, 2026Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X/Twitter for the latest news.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow