Padres' unique knuckleballer sidelined by infection and procedure, his rotation hopes now week-to-week. He faces a race against time and injury.
The San Diego Padres came into Arizona with plenty of pitchers fighting for spots in the starting rotation.
Going into the spring, the Padres signed former Dodgers star Walker Buehler, ex-Rockies All-Star German Marquez, and former Mets and Angels pitcher Griffin Canning.
That added more competition for the final spot or two in the rotation, with Triston McKenzie as another player who signed in the offseason. Add that to knuckleballer Matt Waldron and JP Sears, and there are plenty of pitchers competing for the back-end rotation spots.
First-year manager Craig Stammen is reportedly considering a six-man rotation, which makes sense with Joe Musgrove coming off Tommy John surgery and Michael King battling injuries in 2025.
However, one pitcher is already losing ground in hopes of claiming a rotation spot: Matt Waldron. The famed knuckleballer has been shut down and is considered "week to week" due to a procedure on his "rear end," according to Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Stammen said Waldron had an infection and he underwent surgery to drain it and has been in the hospital since.
Stammen labels him as "week-to-week" depending on how it heals.
Stammen said it sets him back in the competition for the final spot, but it's certainly not over just yet.
Waldron started the game on Saturday against the Kansas City Royals. He threw two scoreless innings, giving up just one hit with one walk while striking out two batters.
In 2024, Waldron appeared in 27 games for an Diego, primarily as a starter, and went 7-11 with a 4.91 ERA. In 2025, he made just one appearance, going 4.2 innings and giving up four runs on six hits.
Waldron is out of minor league options, so if he doesn't make the Padres' Opening Day roster, he will hit free agency and look for an opportunity elsewhere.
As far as the others go, McKenzie threw just 0.2 innings on Sunday, giving up four runs on two hits with a pair of walks, so it wasn't a great start for him.
Sears pitched on Monday against the Milwaukee Brewers, and he also didn't throw well, giving up four runs on four hits in just 0.2 innings despite getting the ball first.
Nonetheless, the infection puts Waldron behind for now, but there is a path to him still finding a way to win the job and make the roster for the Padres.