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The San Diego Padres provided some clarity with their starting pitching situation with the announcement from Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune on Friday that Walker Buehler has made the roster, and he and German Marquez are expected to occupy the fourth and fifth spots in the rotation.
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The San Diego rotation to start the season will look something like this:
Joe Musgrove will start the season on the IL and is expected to return sooner than later but has not pitched in a game since March 4 against Great Britain. Griffin Canning is on the mend and is expected to return to MLB action sometime in May, but there is no exact date for his return. Matt Waldron returned to game action last week after being shut down due to hemorrhoid surgery. Waldron is out of options and is likely to start the season on the IL, but if not, he will have to be released and pass through waivers for the Padres to retain him.
Of the healthy pitching options remaining, there is Marco Gonzales who had a decent showing against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, but has struggled throughout Spring Training, JP Sears, who has shown he is susceptible to the home run and Triston McKenzie who has struggled with command.
None of the healthy names remaining will have the Frair Faithful standing on their heads, but Sears has received praise about his work ethic and desire to get better from Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla and McKenzie, who worked with Niebla in Cleveland, has increased his velocity and is actively working to have better command of his pitches. If they can improve upon their spring performances, Sears and McKenzie could still have significant roles this season despite not breaking camp on the Opening Day roster.
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When considering all the above factors, it is no wonder the respondents from this week’s Padres Reacts Survey on Gaslamp Ball have a high level of concern about the San Diego rotation.
Many Padres fans looked forward to the return of Musgrove after he missed all of the 2025 season following Tommy John surgery, but San Diego manager Craig Stammen said the organization will take its time bringing the right-hander from San Diego back to the MLB mound. Musgrove himself stated he understood he would have some restrictions this season and might have to take some time off. His absence definitively changes the look and depth of the Padres’ rotation.
Opening Day is less than a week away. There is some clarity about the Padres rotation to start the season, but the questions about how long it will remain that way or how it will perform is anyone’s guess.
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