The San Diego Padres rotation will likely change significantly when Griffin Canning and Lucas Giolito come back.
The San Diego Padres rotation has been a work in progress despite the team’s gaudy 19-11 record, and more changes are coming that could lead to some intriguing decisions for the Padres front office.
According to a report from Anthony Franco of MLBTradeRumors.com, Griffin Canning could be joining the Padres rotation some time in the next week. Canning has made a total of five rehab starts so far with Triple-A El Paso, and he got his pitch count up to five innings and 68 pitches on Tuesday.
Canning started his rehab stint back on April 4, and according to the rules for such things he has a limit of 30 days on a minor league rehab. He could make one more start this weekend, according to Franco, but he should be activated by the beginning of next week.
Lucas Giolito will reportedly be joining him soon. The right-hander consented to an optional assignment to build up after signing with the Padres as a free agent back on April 22, but that assignment came with the provision that he be recalled within 25 days.
That puts him on track to join the roster by the middle of May at the lates, according to Franco, and Giolito made his second start at Low-A Lake Elsinore, where he built his pitch count to 70 pitches over 4-1/3 innings. That means he might not need the full 25 day window, so changes could be coming quicker than expected.
That’s where things get interesting, with the possibility of a log jam of back-end starters. Michael King is a rotation staple, and Randy Vasquez has moved up to number two after an excellent April.
The three pitchers who could be in jeopardy are Walker Buehler, German Marquez and Matt Waldron. Buehler has a 5.40 ERA, and while he’s had a couple of decent starts, he hasn’t been able to provide length. Marquez has been better lately, but he, too, has had some tough starts and when Marquez is bad he’s usually very bad.
Waldron has been bad, too. His first two starts were rough, although he was more competitive against the Chicago Cubs this week. Waldron is out of options, so he’s a tough spot, although he’d likely catch on elsewhere fairly quickly if the Angels do decide to move on from him.
The Padres haven’t scheduled any starters for next week’s road series against the San Francisco Giants, which makes this situation even more intriguing. Other writers have floated the possibility of a six- or even a seven-man rotation, but the odds are better that one of these starters is going to be out of a job next week.