In what wasn’t a major surprise, the San Diego Padres took Matt Waldron off the active roster to make room for the imminent season debut of Lucas Giolito, the club announced on Friday. But the way they did it was interesting. In what’s become a more common practice for the Friars this year, they sent Waldron to the 15-day injured list with a right brachialis muscle injury. It’s an injury characterized by swelling in the elbow, meaning that a pitcher can’t fully extend their arm. It’s an injury that usually takes six to eight weeks to heal from. That is, if Waldron has the injury.
Padres Pitcher Matt Waldron Goes on 15-Day Injured List
The Padres have made use of the 10-day and 15-day IL to give struggling players a break without removing them from the roster. Essentially, they’ve been using it as a way to fix any problems with roster construction.
This happened earlier this season, when infielder Jake Cronenworth was sent on a phantom IL stint that he’s yet to return from. That came after he had been struggling to begin the year. Then Cronenworth was hit in the chin by a pitch and supposedly presented concussion symptoms a few days later. While it seems unlikely that he’s been dealing with a concussion for this long, it’s certainly a possibility, hence the term “phantom.” It’s not an uncommon practice; plenty of clubs (if not all of them) do it.
We have recalled RHP Alek Jacob from Triple-A El Paso and placed RHP Matt Waldron on the 15-day IL with a right brachialis muscle injury.
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) May 15, 2026
That seems to be the case with Waldron. The knuckleballer was out of options and would have to clear waivers if the Padres wanted to send him back to Triple-A. Not wanting to risk another club taking him, thus adding to the depth concerns in the Padres rotation, they’ve sent him to the IL with what appears to be a minor injury. Waldron pitched two innings in Thursday’s loss and showed no obvious signs of injury. It would be odd for an injury like this to have popped up overnight, though not entirely out of the question.
Regardless, the move makes room for Giolito to make his 2026 debut for the Friars this weekend in Seattle. Until he does, the Padres decided to reinforce their bullpen. They called up right-hander Alek Jacob in a corresponding move. Jacob has been solid this year, pitching to a 4.08 ERA across 17 2/3 innings in Triple-A. That being said, he hasn’t done enough to earn a spot in the vaunted Padres bullpen. Jacob will likely be used in relief for tonight’s game before Giolito is added to the rotation.
Main Photo Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
