Padres Have Tricky Starting Rotation Decision Coming

The San Diego Padres will have a tricky decision to make regarding their starting rotation sooner rather than later.

The Friars opened the season with a five-man rotation featuring Nick Pivetta, Michael King, Randy Vásquez, Walker Buehler and Germán Marquez. Joe Musgrove was projected to be in the mix, but he began the season on the injured list as he suffered a setback in his recovery from Tommy John surgery.

Musgrove isn't the only starter looking to join the rotation soon as Matt Waldron and Griffin Canning are also on their way to returning from the IL. Waldron is nearly there, which is what brings the Padres a bit of a tough situation.

The right-hander is making his case for the Padres to make room for him on the roster. He tossed four shutout innings with six strikeouts in his second rehab start with Triple-A El Paso. He pitched three shutout innings in his first.

Waldron underwent surgery this spring, but is looking to reclaim his place in the back-end of the rotation. Those two slots are currently occupied by veterans Buehler and Márquez, but that could change if San Diego opts to cut one of them in order to clear a spot for Waldron.

Buehler allowed three earned runs with three strikeouts in his season debut. Marquez allowed four earned runs while punching out one during his first start. With neither veteran pitching particularly well the first time through the order, the team likely doesn't want to make any drastic decision this early.

However, neither player has options, so they would have to be designated for assignment and placed through waivers in the hope that no team picks them up.

Should the Padres Have a Six-Man Rotation?

One solution to the Padres' plight is transitioning to a six-man rotation for the time being. This could also be helpful to the Friars' frontline starters, Pivetta and King.

King is coming off an injury-riddled 2025 season so an extra day of rest could be beneficial. Same goes for Pivetta, who was sidelined this spring by arm fatigue.

It is important to note that the Padres were never considering a six-man rotation ahead of the season, but that could change given the circumstances.

"I think the five- or six-[man rotation] is something that has been talked about a little bit more outside our room because right now we're just trying to get these guys work," pitching coach Ruben Niebla said in camp. "They are all on a five-day routine and [we'll] let the competition kind of play itself out and then we'll make decisions off that."

The Padres could also outright Waldron and hope for the best, which would be the right-hander clearing waivers. However, that move would be a risk as another team could claim him.

The starting rotation depth looked bleak to start the 2026 campaign, but with injured starters like Waldron, Musgrove and Canning set to return, the team will have to decide who their best five (or six) starters are.

Pivetta has already bounced back from his first shaky start of the season, tossing five shutout innings with eight strikeouts against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday. Perhaps, Buehler and Márquez will do the same in their upcoming starts.

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