What happened: Musgrove entered out of the bullpen in the wild-card opener, his first outing since Oct. 2, 2024 against Atlanta. He retired the first batter faced to end the 727-day layoff.

Why it matters: The outing answers the roster question after his late-September inclusion for extra length. Availability for middle innings lets the staff deploy starters without fixed roles in a short series.

What to watch: Watch whether he is called on again in Game 2 of the series.