PEORIA, Ariz. — The Padres expected there to be starts and stops along with setbacks and surges in bringing Joe Musgrove back from Tommy John surgery this year.

So the idea that Musgrove will “most likely start the season on the (injured list),” as Padres manager Craig Stammen said Monday morning, is not a shock.

It’s been baked into the cake all along.

“We’re getting to the point where he’s taken enough time off that it would be hard to ramp him up to get him to be a viable starter that can throw five innings, 90 pitches,” Stammen said. “This was part of the plan, and we knew he was going to have to take some time off. We knew we were going to have to get him ready for the entire season and not just opening day.”

Musgrove has not pitched in a game since March 4 in an exhibition against Great Britain and has thrown just one bullpen since. Because the Padres play their final Cactus League game a week from Monday, they’ve essentially removed Musgrove from the rotation equation behind — in no particular order, yet — Nick Pivetta, Michael King and Randy Vásquez.

Musgrove remaining idle effectively leaves Walker Buehler, Germán Márquez, JP Sears, Marco Gonzales and Triston McKenzie competing for one or two spots, depending on how the Padres utilize the off-days early in their schedule. Knuckleballer Matt Waldron will piggyback Márquez’s start on Tuesday in his first game action since his hemorrhoid surgery, but he too is expecting to start the season on the injured list.

“We’ve got a lot of candidates,” Stammen said, “and we’ve got a lot of competition, so anybody that’s still in camp is a viable candidate and could make the starting rotation at the beginning of the year.”

A vote of confidence

Because he hadn’t played in a game since March 9, it had been a week since Luis Campusano has gotten a hit when he doubled in the third inning on Monday, his first extra-base hit of the spring. After going 1-for-2, he is hitting .171/.250/.241 through 13 games.

Not a great way to win the backup catching job behind Freddy Fermin.

Except the Padres didn’t add anyone with significant experience to the back-up competition.

Besides, Stammen believes Campusano is showing what they need to see on the defensive side. As far as his bat is concerned, Campusano’s track record at Triple-A El Paso — where he paired 25 homers with a 1.036 OPS last year — trumps a slow start at the plate this spring.

“What we’re most concerned about with Campy is what he’s doing behind the plate and he’s done really well behind the plate,” Stammen said. “ … There’s always competition for everything. Every time you take an at-bat, every time you step behind the dish, anytime you’re on base, you’re competing. With Campy, we’re very satisfied with who he is and what he’s done this spring with our pitching staff and he’s got a pretty strong hold on that second spot.”

Campusano served as the DH on Sunday, his first game action since going 1-for-3 with a double on March 9. He was in the starting lineup behind the plate on Monday.

The only real addition to the catching room this spring was bringing back former second-rounder Blake Hunt on a minor league deal, but he hasn’t gotten into a game because of an oblique injury sustained early in camp.

Rodolfo Duran, who shared catching duties with Campusano last year at El Paso, is hitting .222/.417/.444 with one home and one double in 12 games.

Buehler, Buehler

Walker Buehler turned in easily his best outing of the spring on Monday, striking out seven over five shutout innings. He scattered three hits, two walks and a hit batter while throwing 45 of his 77 pitches for strikes.

Buehler also topped out at 94.4 mph and was even touching 94 mph in his last inning of work. The appearance lowered his spring ERA to 3.09, best among all the candidates fighting for one of perhaps two final spots in the rotation.

“I got some swing and miss today,” said Buehler, who fetched 11 whiffs on 32 swings. “I think that’s good. There in the fifth, there were some 94 in there. So, you know, a big-league ballpark, that kind of thing, we’re hoping there’s a little bit more in there. But I think 93-94 and kind of the some of the stuff I can do with the ball, I feel pretty confident about it.”

WBC musings

With the Dominican Republic eliminated on Sunday night, Stammen’s plan is to get Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado in a Cactus League game after Wednesday’s off-day, although that could hinge on their travel from Miami back to the Peoria Sports Complex.

Closer Mason Miller will make his way back after Tuesday’s championship game. His availability for that game after saving Sunday’s win depends on how Miller feels, but the Padres and Team USA manager Mark DeRosa and pitching coach Andy Pettitte are maintaining an open dialog on the hard-throwing reliever’s availability.

“I’ve texted with (Miller) this morning,” Stammen said. “We’re going to get together, chat about that. I know he wants to pitch. We’ll see. … Not ruled out, not decided. You know how we do with every pitcher. We evaluate them after their outing, see how they feel and then calculate when their next time is going to be.

“So he’s in that same boat.”

Notable

OF Samad Taylor has Monday off after exiting Sunday’s game with cramping in his right calf. He is day-to-day.
Cs Blake Hunt and Anthony Vilar have been reassigned to minor league camp. The Padres now have 54 players remaining in big-league camp.