Padres roster for Wild Card Series sees return of Musgrove

The San Diego Padres on Tuesday released their postseason roster for the National League Wild Card Series, the day of their first game, and one of the biggest highlights was the return of Joe Musgrove, who has been on the injured list since 2024.

Musgrove hasn't pitched since Game 2 of the 2024 NL Wild Card series at Petco Park against the Atlanta Braves. We expect Manager Craig Stammen to reveal at a news conference Tuesday whether Musgrove plan to have him as a starter or a relief pitcher for the series.

Musgrove's addition also means pitcher Randy Vasquez is not on the roster, which might just be a numbers thing. Randy threw 68 pitches on Sunday and was phenomenal in a win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, but the workload means he would not be ready to go again until at least Thursday. The Padres may be saving him in the case the team reaches the NL Division Series.

Other notable takeaways: Catcher Ethan Salas made the roster, setting him up to potentially become the youngest player in MLB history to catch for a postseason game. Salas was called up to the Padres less than a month ago and since then, the team has gone 18-6.

And, Veteran infielders Miguel Andújar and Gavin Sheets are on the team both after missing several weeks with injuries. They will likely form a left-right split as DH or late-inning pinch hit options. Sung-mun Song was left off the roster to make room for Andújar.

Here's the San Diego Padres National League Wild Card Series roster:

The San Diego Padres take on the Chicago Cubs in the three-game Wild Card Series with games at Petco Park. Tuesday and Wednesday's games are scheduled for 7 p.m. and Thursday's, if necessary, will likely be at 7 p.m.

San Diego beat Chicago in the 1984 NLCS to reach their first World Series. Their second meeting is a bit more fresh in the memory.

The Friars lost in a tight three-game Wild Card series at Wrigley Field last year, with the Cubbies outscoring the Padres by a total of one run over the three games. Getting the rematch in America's Finest City is not an insignificant development.

The Padres have turned Petco Park into a fortress. They're one of just five teams in the league to win at least 50 games at home this year and the atmosphere the Friar Faithful have created is a huge reason why. The Friars are third in the league in average attendance behind on the Dodger and Yankees, who both play in ballparks with larger capacities.

If the Padres win they will advance to the best-of-five National League Division Series that starts Saturday, October 3 in Milwaukee against the Brewers, who finished the year with the best record in MLB after winning more than 100 games for the first time in franchise history.

In the coming days NBC 7 and NBC7.com will have plenty more to get you ready for the return of postseason baseball San Diego.