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Padres Option Matt Waldron

By Anthony Franco | August 22, 2024 at 7:38pm CDT

The Padres optioned starter Matt Waldron to Triple-A El Paso. San Diego recalled reliever Logan Gillaspie to step into the bullpen before tonight’s series opener with the Mets.

Waldron, MLB’s lone knuckleballer, has held a rotation spot all year. He has made 26 starts and is second on the team behind Dylan Cease with 142 2/3 innings. His 4.79 ERA belies decent peripherals. Waldron has a roughly average 21.6% strikeout percentage and has kept his walk rate to a tidy 6.6% clip. Hitters have generally had a tough time making hard contact against him. An abnormally low 67.1% left on base rate is the biggest factor in Waldron allowing nearly five earned runs per nine. ERA estimators like FIP and SIERA suggest his peripherals should point to an ERA in the low-4.00s.

Things have gone downhill over Waldron’s last few starts. He carried a 3.71 ERA into the All-Star Break. He has given up exactly eight earned runs per nine innings in 36 frames during the second half. Waldron has surrendered five-plus runs in four of his last five starts. The Twins blitzed him for 12 hits and 10 runs in 4 1/3 innings last night.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets that the assignment is about giving Waldron some rest before the stretch run. While it’s possible that fatigue has played a role in the righty’s recent struggles, Waldron isn’t too far beyond last year’s innings total. He combined for 133 2/3 frames between the majors and Triple-A a season ago. There seems to be something amiss with his recent skid, so the Padres will give him at least a couple weeks away from big league hitters. A pitcher cannot be recalled from an optional assignment for at least 15 days unless he’s replacing another pitcher who is going on the injured list.

San Diego doesn’t have an off day until September 3. They’ve got a handful of rest days built into their September schedule but will need a full rotation for the next two weeks. The Friars have Cease, Michael King, Joe Musgrove and Martín Pérez in their rotation for now. There’s still not much clarity on whether Yu Darvish will be able to return from the family matter to which he’s attending. Randy Vásquez is the top depth arm on the 40-man roster. He has a 4.63 ERA over 17 major league starts this year and has been hit extremely hard (8.78 ERA) in the Pacific Coast League.

The demotion shouldn’t have much impact on Waldron from a service time perspective. He entered the year with 54 days of MLB service and has already topped the necessary 118 days on the active roster to surpass the one-year service mark in 2024.

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San Diego Padres Matt Waldron

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22 Comments

  1. Now Yu Know

    11 months ago

    Good move. Give the guy some time to regroup and get back at it. Vasquez was doing well before he was sent to AAA.

    7
    Reply
    • Gwynning

      11 months ago

      I’d trust Vasquez more in the PS, personally.

      6
      Reply
      • Pads Fans

        11 months ago

        #5 starters don’t generally start games in the post season. It will be Cease, King, Musgrove in the WC and hopefully Darvish if the Padres go deep enough to need a 4th starter in the NLCS.

        6
        Reply
        • Gwynning

          11 months ago

          Correct Pads Fans, but in a long-relief/swingman/’Pen game sitchy-ation im trusting Vasquez more than a off-and-on knuckleball.

          6
          Reply
        • Brew88

          11 months ago

          The knuckleball slows down in colder (denser) air, so maybe Waldron surprises ( in relief ) in October

          6
          Reply
        • dmp13

          11 months ago

          Waldron’s biggest issues are in the first couple innings. He is not suited for the pen.

          2
          Reply
        • Brew88

          11 months ago

          Yes that’s true

          Reply
    • SteveFinleyEnthusiast

      11 months ago

      Hopefully the time in AAA gives him a chance to reset and get back on track for the last leg of the season. I’ve wondered if he was starting to hit the wall as of late.

      Perhaps we see spot starts from Vásquez or Brito as needed.

      4
      Reply
      • Brew88

        11 months ago

        He might also get some arm rest before they give him game innings in El Paso

        3
        Reply
        • SteveFinleyEnthusiast

          11 months ago

          Whatever is needed for him to be at his best. I was skeptical of Waldron, but he certainly proved me wrong for long stretches of the season. Hopefully he’ll be a fixture here for years to come.

          3
          Reply
    • Brew88

      11 months ago

      Both Waldron and Vasquez helped keep the rotation afloat this season and were pleasant surprises. Hats off

      8
      Reply
    • holecamels35

      11 months ago

      They shouldn’t be pitching him in the PCL, move him to AA or the majors.

      Reply
  2. Pads Fans

    11 months ago

    Gillaspie won’t be replacing Waldron in the rotation. He is a reliever. This means the Padres believe that Musgrove is ready to take on a 6 inning load and Perez will continue to pitch well.

    Reply
    • PadsFan84

      11 months ago

      Still need a 5th starter. Cease, King, Musgrove and Perez. I’m sure Vasquez will be starting Monday.

      1
      Reply
  3. FanDan

    11 months ago

    He will be back for the SF series.

    Reply
    • Pads Fans

      11 months ago

      I think that would be the soonest he can be back.

      Reply
  4. Brew88

    11 months ago

    Tatis! Some good news today

    4
    Reply
  5. Acoss1331

    11 months ago

    Waldron’s knuckleball is pretty good, hopefully he helps the Padres aa a bullpen weapon for a hopefully deep playoff run!

    3
    Reply
  6. wjf010

    11 months ago

    when the Twins do that to you… without Buxton and Correa? yeah….time for AAA

    Reply
  7. sad tormented neglected mariners fan

    11 months ago

    He’s got the best knuckleball since R.A. Dickey

    4
    Reply
  8. LFGSD619

    11 months ago

    Stop! Bauer time!

    1
    Reply
    • CrikesAlready

      11 months ago

      Trevor Bauer (proven innocent with a video recording by the fake victim) is setting up a massive lawsuit. He’s making overtures on a daily basis of late.

      MLB might blink and let him back in the league… Probably not.

      1
      Reply

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