German Marquez and Matt Waldron are both on the injured list for the San Diego Padres, with updated timelines pointing to returns by June at the earliest—while one case still leaves July as a possibility. The rotation will have to keep adjusting in the meantim
For a Padres rotation already forced to reshuffle, the injury list has now extended into the heart of the season. German Marquez and Matt Waldron—two key right-handers—are both sidelined, and the newest update offers a clearer picture of when San Diego might see them back on the field.
Marquez, 31, is expected to return sometime in June, potentially as early as the middle of the month. He was placed on the 15-day injured list on May 3 because of nerve irritation in his right arm. Through six starts this season, the 11-year veteran has posted a 5.76 ERA and 1.449 WHIP with 19 strikeouts. After two weeks of rest and recovery. he began a throwing program and has begun throwing off the mound. putting his return on a track the Padres can plan around.
Waldron’s timeline is slightly more open-ended, with a chance to come back in June or July. The 29-year-old right-hander was placed on the 15-day IL one day after working two scoreless innings in relief at Milwaukee. His injury is listed as a right brachialis strain, and he has not yet resumed throwing. When he is able to return, the expectation is that he could be used as a reliever.
San Diego isn’t just dealing with the injuries themselves—its current structure matters, too. The Padres have four starting pitchers on the IL right now, and Marquez and Waldron are two of them. Until they return. Manager Craig Stammen has been leaning on a rotation featuring Michael King. Randy Vasquez. Walker Buehler. Griffin Canning. and Lucas Giolito.
Even if both right-handers arrive back on schedule, a clean path to their old roles isn’t guaranteed. A spot in the starting rotation is not assured. and bullpen planning could get complicated as well. because the Padres already have one of the deepest bullpens in MLB. If Marquez and Waldron are both moved into relief work, finding room could become its own challenge.
Waldron’s season numbers while healthy have been tough to ignore. In six appearances on the mound, he has posted an 8.49 ERA and 1.714 WHIP with 22 strikeouts, before the brachialis strain forced his stint on the IL.
The connection between both injury timelines is simple: each return is trending toward the summer window. but how and where the Padres use them depends on what the rest of the staff looks like when June arrives. For San Diego. it’s not just about getting pitchers back—it’s about fitting them into a rotation and bullpen that have already begun to adapt.
San Diego Padres German Marquez Matt Waldron injury update injured list MLB rotation bullpen