SEATTLE — Matt Waldron is still with the Padres.
The right-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday with a right brachialis muscle injury.
That is a muscle in the upper arm near the elbow, and it is often simply described as a biceps injury when teams report it.
Waldron had been receiving treatment in the biceps area for some time. According to several people in the organization, however, Waldron had never complained of the sort of discomfort he described to the medical staff Thursday after pitching two innings on one day of rest.
He had not pitched on fewer than four days rest since 2023 and had never pitched with less than three days rest between outings as a professional. He threw 59 pitches in 2⅔ innings on Tuesday and 27 pitches on Thursday against the Brewers.
“He felt like he came into the game feeling good, all reports were good that he was good to go,” manager Craig Stammen said Friday. “But after the game just got a little stiffer than usual, a little bit more tired, little more sore today.”
Waldron going on the IL does buy the Padres some time to ultimately decide his future with them.
The 29-year-old right-hander was set to be designated for assignment because he is out of minor-league options and the team needed a roster spot for the imminent activation of Lucas Giolito, who will make his first start for the Padres on Sunday.
The team reluctantly planned to let Waldron go before he reported the extent of his injury. They did not want to thin their pitching depth, but his not being able to be sent to the minors was going to force their hand.
Waldron has been in the Padres’ system since he was acquired in the Mike Clevinger trade at the deadline in 2020. The only active pitcher in the major leagues to regularly throw a knuckleball, he has made 36 starts and pitched a total of 216 innings over 42 games for them. While he has a 5.25 career ERA, the Padres have held out hope he can still be the pitcher who posted a 2.76 ERA over 14 starts in the middle of the 2024 season.
While the belief is Waldron could be ready to throw again in a couple weeks, Waldron can also be sent on a rehab assignment for up to 30 days.
“It’s never good when someone goes on the IL,” Stammen said. “But eventually we were gonna have to make a move this weekend. … We’ll get to that point when we get to that point. We feel very good with (Waldron) on our team. We like what he brings to the table. He gives us a lot of options — rotation depth, and he can pitch out of the bullpen. He’s got a unique pitch. So hopefully it doesn’t take long, and we get him back soon.”