Padres activate Matt Waldron, option Alek Jacob to El Paso after Pivetta injury

The Padres chose rotation stability over bullpen depth, activating Matt Waldron from the injured list and optioning Alek Jacob to Triple-A El Paso as they worked around Nick Pivetta’s elbow injury. Waldron is set to start Friday night against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium, giving San Diego a needed fifth starter while Pivetta is sidelined with right elbow inflammation.

That move landed one day after the Padres placed Pivetta on the 15-day injured list retroactive to April 13. Pivetta left his April 12 start against the Colorado Rockies after three perfect innings because of elbow stiffness, and MLB.com’s injury tracker has pointed to a potential midseason return. For a team that entered April 17 at 13-6 and riding an eight-game winning streak, losing an ace-caliber arm that suddenly changes the way every game gets staffed.

Waldron’s return is more than a warm body assignment. The knuckleballer had not pitched in the 2026 regular season before the activation after undergoing a hemorrhoid procedure in late February and being shut down on a week-to-week basis. He had been building back in camp, where reports said he showed added strength and velocity, and the Padres are now betting that his unusual profile can do real damage again after he supplied valuable rotation innings in 2024.

San Diego’s immediate bullpen consequence is just as clear. By moving Waldron into the rotation, the Padres avoided forcing the relief corps to soak up another spot start or a heavy patchwork outing in the wake of Pivetta’s injury. That matters for a staff already being asked to absorb churn early in the season, and it explains why Jacob was the arm sent out. The Padres recalled him from El Paso earlier in the week, used him for two scoreless innings in his first major league outing of 2026, then sent him back down after Waldron was ready.

Jacob’s quick trip tells you where he sits on the ladder. He is still on the call-up radar, and his scoreless relief work bought him another look, but this was not the move of a pitcher locked into the late-inning picture. For now, he looks like a shuttle arm who can help in short bursts when needed, while Waldron’s return carries the bigger organizational weight: it keeps the Padres from having to raid the bullpen to cover a rotation hole that could linger well into the summer.