Credit: Joseph Ray

From Dodger days to the Padres, the pitcher who was known to be a “Padres killer” is now looking to reclaim his status as a frontline starter while wearing the brown and gold.

The Los Angeles Dodgers always seem to be beating up on the Padres.

The Dodger offense is always the talk of the national media. Yet, when it comes to giving the Padres the biggest fits, it seems to be the pitching staff. From notable names of the past like Clayton Kershaw, Kenley Jansen, and Joe Kelly to recent signings Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, Edwin Diaz, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers’ pitching staff is seemingly always an issue for San Diego. 

One of those Dodgers players who’s been a “thorn in their side” is now looking to revive his career in San Diego. A career that’s been marred by injury.

Walker Buehler signed with the San Diego Padres on February 17 to a minor-league deal.

His 2025 season with the Boston Red Sox, featuring a brief stint in Philadelphia, was rough to say the least.

In Boston, he ended up with a 5.45 ERA in 22 starts. The Red Sox would release Buehler, but he was able to maintain his postseason eligibility. Shortly after, Buehler signed a minor league contract with the Phillies. He would join the Phillies during their 2025 postseason run. In Philadelphia, Buehler pitched to the tune of a 0.66 ERA in three games and two starts. His stuff looked better. 

Walker Buehler joins San Diego with a chance to crack the starting rotation.

It’s been a bit of a grind for the pitcher pain-wise. He’s dealt with Tommy John on multiple occasions. In 2022, he had a second surgery to address the issue. In turn, Buehler would miss the entire 2023 season. In 2024, the pitcher would return to action, only to end up on the IL after dealing with a hip injury and inflammation.

For the first time in three years, Walker Buehler is feeling pain-free and made his Padres debut versus the Seattle Mariners in spring training. Buehler went three full innings, striking out four batters while only walking one. He would allow two runs in his outing while leading the Padres to a massive 27-6 win over Seattle. It was a great return. 

Shortly after, Walker Buehler would speak with Sammy Levitt about the outing and also how he’s finally playing pain-free.

Walker Buehler says his elbow stopped hurting about 4 weeks ago.

“I’ve tried every treatment, supplement, and vitamin you can…something got rid of it and it hasn’t come back…I don’t know exactly what did it that fixed it. I hope if it hurts again, we get lucky again.” pic.twitter.com/lte6SoBhgS

— Sammy Levitt (@SammyLev) March 5, 2026

“About four weeks ago, my elbow just stopped hurting, and so that’s a new one for me. Things have kind of ticked up from there… I think the first thing for those guys that are coming off of it, myself included, is to find the aggressiveness in the throw.”

As it currently stands, Walker Buehler is battling for the fifth spot in the starting rotation along with JP Sears, Germán Márquez, and Marco Gonzales. All Walker Beuhler has to do is continue to produce solid outings as he did against Seattle on Thursday.

If that happens, then once Opening Day at Petco Park rolls around, the fans could very well see Walker Buehler lining up on the first base line to start the 2026 MLB campaign.

Jordan Irizarry is a fan of the game.
Whether it’s football, hockey or “America’s past time”, he’s always locked into watching his favorite team. After getting a small taste in journalism by covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he’s now looking to “dip his foot” in the baseball world by covering the San Diego Padres. Whether it’s stats and facts or just pure fandom, Jordan is looking to bring his love of the game to you.

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