Joe Musgrove's final start in preparation for the regular season didn't go as planned after all. The Pirates announced prior to Monday's home opener that Musgrove, who only made three starts this spring because of right shoulder discomfort, was placed on the 10-day disabled list because of a right shoulder strain, retroactive to March 30. The earliest he can make a start is April 9 against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Clay Holmes, a right-handed pitcher who was recalled Sunday to serve as the 26th player for the second game of the doubleheader, will remain with the Pirates to take Musgrove's spot on the 25-man roster. Steven Brault will take Musgrove's scheduled start on Thursday against the Reds at PNC Park.
Musgrove threw 92 pitches in six innings of a minor-league game on Saturday in Bradenton but didn't recover as quickly as he had hoped, expressing those concerns to the Pirates' training staff. Todd Tomzyck, the Pirates' director of sports medicine, told reporters following the club's 5-4 win over the Twins at PNC that Musgrove will take a break from throwing before being evaluated again.
Neal Huntington told reporters Sunday in Detroit that Musgrove would be ready to make his regular-season debut for the Pirates on Thursday, with Trevor Williams and Chad Kuhl to follow. Musgrove's first side session in preparation for Thursday's game would have been scheduled for Monday morning.
Now, Brault will take his place. The left-hander threw three scoreless innings in the Pirates' 13-inning, 13-10 victory over the Tigers on Friday.
This is the second time in less than a year that Musgrove was placed on the disabled list with a shoulder injury. He spent 13 days on the DL last May with right shoulder discomfort but was activated 13 days later and made 28 more appearances for the Astros the rest of the season.
Musgrove allowed nine earned runs in 11 2/3 innings for the Pirates this spring, recording a 1.54 WHIP and 6.94 ERA. His command was shaky at times, particularly with his breaking pitches. However, he showed progress in his final start by allowing just one earned run in five innings against the Blue Jays.
He and Colin Moran were the centerpieces of the five-player trade in January that sent Cole to the Astros, but the former first-round pick has a poor track record as a starter in the major leagues. Musgrove had a 1.44 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in 31 1/3 innings in relief for the Astros last season. On the other hand, he had a 6.12 ERA and 1.51 WHIP in 78 innings as a starter.
The Pirates didn't add an additional starter in the offseason to provide insurance behind Musgrove and their other young starters. With Brault and Glasnow in the bullpen, Holmes and Nick Kingham are the next in line to take a spot in the Pirates' rotation. Holmes had a 3.36 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and averaged 7.9 strikeouts in 25 appearances, 24 of which were starts, for Triple-A Indianapolis last season. But he also averaged 4.7 walks per nine innings and has struggled with command at times since reaching Double-A Altoona in 2016.
Kingham's fastball velocity has yet to return since he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2016, although he recorded a 1.31 WHIP in 20 appearances, 19 of which were starts, at Triple-A Indianapolis last season and is still ranked among the Pirates' top 10 prospects by Baseball America.