
The San Diego Padres got a key piece to their bullpen back just five days before Major League Baseball's trade deadline.
Right-handed pitcher Jeremiah Estrada has been activated off the injured list ahead of Wednesday's game against the Colorado rockies.
In order to make room on the roster, right-handed pitcher Matt Waldron has been designated for assignment.
We have reinstated RHP Jeremiah Estrada from the 15-day IL and designated RHP Matt Waldron for assignment.
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 29, 2026
The Padres are 54-53 with five games to go until the Aug. 3 trade deadline. While the offense has finally picked things up as of late, the lack of pitching depth has been a major concern.
Thus, Estrada's return could not be coming at a better time.
Estrada has had a trying 2026 season, spending multiple extended stints on the injured list.
He missed three weeks in April due to an elbow injury after his velocity was down. Then he returned for a month, and now has been out since June 2 due to right knee inflammation.
Across 21 big league appearances this season, Estrada has a 3.48 ERA and 23 strikeouts over 20.2 innings.
He made four rehab appearances over the past two weeks, pitching 2.2 scoreless innings with three strikeouts and three walks.
Estrada will be a key bridge reliever in the Padres bullpen moving forward, allowing the team to shorten games and get the ball to Adrian Morejon and Mason Miller.
As for the corresponding move, the Padres are officially moving on from Waldron after an extended tenure with the team.
Waldron, 29, has made 46 appearances (36 starts) over the last four years with the Padres at the big league level, accruing a 5.19 ERA with 195 strikeouts over 225.1 innings.
This year, he has a 7.16 ERA over 32.2 innings.
Waldron will now head to waivers, where he'll be free to be picked up by another team. If he goes through waivers unclaimed, the Padres could retain him.
Left-handed pitcher Kyle Hart is starting for the Padres in a game that will almost certainly feature other starting pitchers working multiple innings in relief. He has a 5.21 ERA across 38 innings this season.
Rookie right-hander Gabriel Hughes is starting for the Rockies. He has a 2.79 ERA across 19.1 innings this season. He made his debut in early July.
First pitch for San Diego Padres vs. Colorado Rockies on Wednesday, July 29 is 1:10 p.m. PT/4:10 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on Padres.TV and in the MLB app.
The Padres announced that games will also be available via cable on the following channels:
Games will be broadcast on the radio on 97.3 The Fan (in English) and XEMO 860 (in Spanish).
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