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The Padres have optioned starter Matt Waldron to Triple-A El Paso, as announced by the team. San Diego has recalled reliever Logan Gillaspie to join the bullpen before Thursday night’s series opener against the Mets.
Waldron, the only knuckleballer in MLB, has been a part of the rotation all season. With 26 starts, he ranks second on the team in innings pitched behind Dylan Cease, totaling 142 2/3 innings. Despite his 4.79 ERA, Waldron has solid peripherals, including a 21.6% strikeout rate and a 6.6% walk rate. He has also limited hard contact from hitters. However, his low left on base rate of 67.1% has contributed to his high ERA. Advanced metrics like FIP and SIERA suggest that his true performance indicates an ERA in the low 4.00s.
Waldron’s recent performances have not been as strong, as he entered the All-Star break with a 3.71 ERA. In the second half, he has struggled, giving up eight earned runs per nine innings over 36 frames. In his last five starts, he has allowed five or more runs in four of them, including a rough outing against the Twins with 12 hits and 10 runs in 4 1/3 innings.
Writer Bob Nightengale of USA Today mentioned that the demotion is a move to give Waldron some rest before the final stretch of the season. While fatigue could be a factor in his recent performance, Waldron has not exceeded his innings workload from last year. Recognizing something off with his recent struggles, the Padres will keep him away from big league action for at least 15 days. A pitcher undergoing optional assignment cannot return unless replacing an injured player.
With an off day until September 3, the Padres will require a full rotation for the next two weeks. Cease, King, Musgrove, and Pérez currently fill the rotation, with uncertainty around Darvish’s return. Vásquez serves as the primary depth option on the roster but has struggled this season.
From a service-time perspective, Waldron’s demotion shouldn’t have a significant impact as he has already surpassed the needed days on the active roster to achieve one year of service time in 2024.
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