The San Diego Padres will be without right-hander Matt Waldron to start the season after he suffered a left oblique strain while warming up in the bullpen on Friday night. Manager Mike Shildt confirmed the injury, acknowledging that Waldron’s recovery timeline is uncertain but that he will miss Opening Day.
“Checked in on Matt, he slept okay, looks like he can still feel it,” Shildt said. “The 24-48 hours after it happens is going to be the most critical, so we’re still in that window. We’re hopeful that [he has] a quicker recovery. It’s going to be some period of time that’s going to impact the start of the season.”
Padres manager Mike Shildt discusses Matt Waldron’s oblique injury, its impact on the battle for a rotation spot, and on the Padres bullpen. pic.twitter.com/j113ApWTOB
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Waldron was in contention for the No. 5 spot in the Padres’ starting rotation and was slated to pitch multiple innings against the Rangers in relief of starter Nick Pivetta. However, he felt discomfort in his side throughout the day, which worsened as he warmed up. When the pain intensified, he and the team’s trainers decided it was best not to risk further injury.
Matt Waldron will miss the start of the season for the Padres
“When I started to warm up, and I felt it act up even more, I’m like: ‘If this is getting worse, as bad as I want to pitch and compete for this spot, I just can’t,’” Waldron said.
Now, the battle for the final rotation spot comes down to three pitchers: Kyle Hart, Stephen Kolek, and Randy Vásquez. Kolek and Vásquez have impressed in recent outings, with Vásquez throwing five scoreless innings in a recent Triple-A game.
“Kolek made his case the other day,” Shildt said. “Hart’s going to continue to get his opportunities. We’re not as familiar with him, but we like what we’ve seen. Unfortunately for him, he’s had a little bit of illness so that’s set him back in his progression. Vásquez yesterday was really good on the back field in the Triple-A game. Five scoreless, everything looked good, velo was in a good spot.”
Waldron had entered camp as a favorite for the role, especially after making 20 starts last season, posting a 4.79 ERA over 188 MLB innings. He had been refining his signature knuckleball, increasing its usage beyond last year’s 38% clip.
With Dylan Cease, Michael King, Yu Darvish, and Nick Pivetta locked into the first four rotation spots, the Padres will now look for one of the remaining contenders to step up in Waldron’s absence.
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