San Diego Padres right-hander Matt Waldron (oblique) will make his 2025 debut Monday in a road start against the Philadelphia Phillies, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Waldron suffered a strained left oblique during the spring and has missed the first three months of the season as a result. The 28-year-old knuckleballer tossed a career-high 146 2/3 innings last season and pitched to a 4.91 ERA with 133 strikeouts, 40 walks, and a 1.26 WHIP. Waldron will now take over for right-hander Ryan Bergert in the Padres' rotation. Bergert landed on the 15-day injured list earlier this week with a right forearm contusion.

San Diego Padres right-hander Matt Waldron (oblique) is working his way back from a left-oblique strain he suffered during spring training in mid-March and has made two minor-league rehab starts at Double-A San Antonio, according to MLB.com's AJ Cassavell. Waldron's next rehab start could come at Triple-A El Paso, and after that, the Padres might need him for a spot start or two with both Yu Darvish (elbow) and Michael King (shoulder) on the injured list. The 28-year-old knuckleballer allowed two earned runs on five hits while walking one and striking out four in 4 1/3 innings for San Antonio in his last outing on Sunday. He threw 37 of 61 pitches for strikes. Waldron had a short stretch of success last year but mostly was hit hard and finished with a 4.91 ERA and 8.2 K/9 in 146 2/3 innings. He has a low fantasy ceiling as a matchup-based streamer in deep leagues when he's healthy and starting.

San Diego Padres right-hander Matt Waldron (oblique) made a minor-league rehab start in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on May 15 and could move to Double-A San Antonio for his next rehab start. Waldron suffered a left-oblique strain while warming up in the bullpen before a spring training game and was moved to the 60-day injured list (retroactive to March 24) on March 27. MLB.com is estimating that he could make his 2025 season debut in the big leagues by June or July. In 1 2/3 innings in the ACL last Thursday, the 28-year-old knuckleballer gave up an earned run on two hits while walking one and striking out three. He threw 38 pitches in the outing and will likely need at least a few more starts before being under consideration for starting-rotation role at the big-league level. Fantasy managers in 12-team mixed leagues can continue to ignore Waldron.

San Diego Padres right-handed pitcher Matt Waldron (oblique) was unable to pitch on Friday due to a "mild" left oblique strain. Waldron was set to enter the spring training contest but was pulled by the medical staff. After the contest, the team noted he would be evaluated further on Saturday. If Waldron were to miss time, this could open the door for Randy Vasquez to be the clear front-runner for the final spot in the starting rotation. Last season, Waldron logged 146 2/3 innings (26 starts) and held a 4.91 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP. He tallied 133 strikeouts and posted a strong 6.4 percent walk rate. He also generated a modest 4.11 xERA with a .246 xBA. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status as Vasquez, Stephen Kolek, or Kyle Hart could see opportunities in the rotation at the start of the season.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Matt Waldron was recalled from Triple-A El Paso earlier on Sunday. In a corresponding move, the Padres demoted right-handed pitcher Randy Vasquez to the minor leagues. Vasquez was given the starting nod on Saturday evening and held his own against the Arizona Diamondbacks as he tossed six shutout innings with only one hit and one walk. Martin Perez is slated to start in the regular season finale for San Diego but Waldron could be deployed as a long relief option if Perez struggles. Fantasy managers should avoid streaming Perez this afternoon as he has generated strikeouts at a very low 18.2% rate this summer.

The San Diego Padres optioned starting pitcher Matt Waldron to Triple-A El Paso ahead of Thursday's series opener against the visiting New York Mets at Petco Park, recalling right-hander Logan Gillaspie in a corresponding move. Waldron has been a fixture in San Diego's rotation this season, but he's clearly hit a wall deep into his rookie season, allowing 22 runs in his last three starts. It's unclear what the plan is for Waldron from this point on, but fantasy managers can cut the 27-year-old knuckleballer loose while he irons things out in the minor leagues. It's also unclear if the Padres have an eye toward getting Yu Darvish (personal) back into the fold at some point down the stretch, but Bryan Hoeing is now a candidate to start Monday's series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Matt Waldron had a solid start on Sunday, tossing 5 innings of one-run ball in a 10-2 defeat of the Colorado Rockies. Waldron struck out seven while allowing just two hits and two walks. He had his knuckleball working in this one, tossing it 44% of the time while picking up five whiffs and allowing an average exit velocity of just 74.7 mph against it. The knuckler seems to be the key for Waldron, as he is usually sharp when it's working well and bad when it isn't. Overall, the 27-year-old has a decent 3.79 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 116 strikeouts over 128 IP. He's a decent streamer option in standard-size leagues and a solid rotation piece in deeper ones.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Matt Waldron produced his fourth consecutive quality start in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Mets. The knuckleballer went seven innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two. It was also the seventh consecutive outing in which he allowed two earned runs or less, a phenomenal stretch in which he's posted a 1.91 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 19.1% K-BB%, and just a single home run allowed over 42 1/3 innings pitched. The righty's season ERA now stands at 3.66 with a 1.18 WHIP and a 23:70 BB:K in 76 1/3 innings (14 starts). Waldron will have a tough test his next time out, taking on the Phillies on the road next Wednesday.

San Diego Padres right-hander Matt Waldron turned in a solid performance in a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Monday. Waldron allowed just one run on two hits over 6 1/3 innings while striking out four and walking none. The right-hander emerged from the outing with a no-decision, keeping his record at 3-5 on the year. Waldron has been a pleasant surprise for the Padres this season, posting a 3.98 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 64 strikeouts over 63 1/3 innings of work. Since getting tagged for seven earned runs by the Arizona Diamondbacks back on May 5, Waldron has allowed just six total earned runs in his five subsequent starts. Waldron will look to stay hot in his next start, which is scheduled for Saturday against Arizona.

San Diego Padres right-hander Matt Waldron turned in a dominant performance in a 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves on Friday. Waldron allowed just one run on five hits over 5 2/3 innings while striking out 10 and walking two. The veteran did well in limiting a dangerous Atlanta offense to just one run while racking up double-digit strikeouts for the first time in his MLB career. Overall, Waldron has a 2-5 record, 5.00 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and 45 strikeouts over 45 innings of work. Waldron is worth a look in deeper leagues moving forward as he gears up for his next start.