The San Diego Padres are flirting with the idea of beginning the season with a six-man pitching rotation.
Settling on an opening day starter, though, may not be as easy a decision for manager Bob Melvin.
With Joe Musgrove sidelined by a toe injury and Yu Darvish pitching for Japan in the World Baseball Classic, Melvin is exploring options that could include Blake Snell or Michael Wacha.
Musgrove has been on the mend after dropping a weight on his left big toe.
And while he has made progress in his recovery since having the nail taken off the toe, there’s no guarantee he’ll ready for the March 30 opener against the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park.
If Musgrove doesn’t suffer a setback, though, there’s a chance he could be inserted at the rear of the proposed six-man rotation the Padres are considering because they are scheduled to begin the season with a stretch of 24 games in 25 days.
“It is pretty amazing to me, but since he got the nail taken off the pain has subsided,” Melvin said. “We don’t want to go too far and get a setback. If you are talking to him or talking to us, it’s a little different story. He’d be pushing the envelope for opening day.”
Darvish figures to be worked into the back end of the rotation, too, because he has been pitching for Japan in the WBC.
“We’re not sure what his timetable will be. It would have been one or the other (for opening day),” Melvin said. “Everything has been fine with his workload. We have no problem with that. Once you embrace the fact that they are there pitching for their country, there are some issues that you can’t control.”
