Right-handed bullpen stalwart Jason Adam, who has been recovering from quad tendon surgery since last September, returned to the San Diego Padres in a dramatic fashion during the Friday night game against the Colorado Rockies. Less than an hour before first pitch of the game where the Padres debuted their new City Connect uniforms and tried to maintain their momentum from the walk-off win on Thursday, Adam was reinstated from the IL and struggling Jeremiah Estrada was placed on the 15-day IL with elbow tendinitis.
Adam seemed ready to be with the team coming out of spring camp but the Padres choose to be extra cautious with the valuable eighth inning specialist from 2025. Adam finished last season with a 1.93 ERA in 65.1 innings pitched before injuring his left leg while on the mound. He has thrown five innings over four games with Triple-A El Paso, including back-to-back games and multiple innings, in order to ready himself for the rigors of an MLB season.
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In his postgame presser after the Padres staged another dramatic walk off win on Friday night, Padres manager Craig Stammen stated the preference for a “soft landing” for Adam in his return to a major league mound. That wasn’t possible when reliever Adrian Morejon blew a two-run lead in the eighth inning and Adam was called on to get the last out to preserve a tie. Adam threw five pitches and got a groundout to end the top of the inning.
There has been much debate as to who would be demoted from the Padres bullpen in order to make room for Adam upon his return. In the end, it wasn’t a hard decision. Estrada has been laboring in most of his appearances this season. His velocity has been down across the board and his command has also not been up to his norm. Over seven innings pitched in seven games, Estrada has a 5.14 ERA. Stammen also reported on Friday night that Estrada threw in the afternoon and didn’t feel right, reporting discomfort while throwing. They believe it is tendinitis and hope rest and rehab will take care of it.
Matt Waldron
Padres right-handed pitcher Matt Waldron threw another scoreless outing with Triple-A El Paso on April 8. He is on a slow progression in his build up as a starter after missing almost all of spring camp recovering from hemorrhoid surgery. His latest start went five innings with two hits, no runs and three strikeouts. That was his third start with a total of 12 innings pitched without allowing a run. He has a true five-pitch mix while using his fastball, sinker and knuckleball predominately. In those 12 innings he has 12 strikeouts and one walk.
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Even with the slow build, he should be ready to join the team at the end of his rehab window later this month. It seems unlikely that Waldron would clear waivers if the Padres tried to send him to the minors. He is out of options and must be put on the roster in order to keep him in the organization.
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