Toronto Blue Jays claim RHP Matt Waldron off waivers from Padres

By Liam Tremblay — 5 August 2026 — 3 min read

Blue Jays acquire knuckleballer

The Toronto Blue Jays have claimed right-handed pitcher Matthew Waldron from the San Diego Padres. The team announced the acquisition on Wednesday. Waldron, a knuckleballer, was designated for assignment by the Padres last week, which made him available for the Blue Jays to claim.

In a related roster adjustment, left-handed pitcher Patrick Corbin has been moved from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. This move created a spot on the 40-man roster for Waldron. Waldron is out of minor league options, meaning he is expected to join Toronto’s active roster immediately.

Following the Blue Jays’ 5-4 victory over the Houston Astros on Wednesday, manager John Schneider informed reporters that Waldron is scheduled to join the team on Friday. Schneider indicated that Waldron would be utilized out of the bullpen. Schneider expressed enthusiasm for the acquisition, noting Waldron’s “unique profile” and his ability to cover both single and multiple innings. He also highlighted that the team has not previously had a knuckleballer.

Waldron’s performance and role

Waldron has experienced challenges in the major leagues this season, recording a 7.16 ERA and a 1.561 WHIP across 10 appearances, which included three starts. During these outings, he accumulated 28 strikeouts over 32.2 innings pitched. His most recent appearance in MLB was on July 25, when he pitched two innings and allowed one run in a 7-2 win against the Miami Marlins.

Despite his struggles in the majors this year, Waldron has shown strong performance at the Triple-A level. In eight appearances, all of which were starts, he posted a 1.33 ERA and an even 1.000 WHIP. Over his four seasons in MLB, all spent with the Padres, the Omaha, Neb., native has a career ERA of 5.19 and a 1.327 WHIP in 46 major-league games, including 36 starts.

The Blue Jays are adding the only active knuckleballer in the sport with Waldron. This season, approximately 29% of his pitches have been knuckleballs, a figure that rises to nearly 36% of his career pitches in the majors. While he has experience as both a starter and a long reliever, a long relief role appears more probable for him with his new club.

Waldron’s pitching arsenal includes a four-seamer, sinker, cutter, and slider, in addition to his knuckleball. His four-seamer and two-seamer typically sit between 90-91 mph, while his cutter clocks in around 87 mph and his slider at approximately 80 mph. Among these, the cutter, which is his least-used pitch in his career, has consistently received decent grades in the big leagues.

Context for the Blue Jays’ pitching staff

The Blue Jays’ pitching staff has seen several changes recently. The team traded Kevin Gausman before the trade deadline and placed Trey Yesavage on the injured list earlier on Wednesday. However, they also acquired José Soriano and Jameson Taillon in separate deadline deals. Currently, the team’s rotation includes Soriano, Dylan Cease, Shane Bieber, Max Scherzer, and Taillon.

Waldron’s addition provides the Blue Jays’ pitching staff with an option for innings out of the bullpen, especially given recent injuries. Both Bieber and Scherzer have missed significant portions of the season to date, and Waldron could potentially step into the rotation if either requires additional time on the injured list. The Blue Jays could retain Waldron for four more years beyond the current season, pending his performance.

Waldron’s combined performance in 2023-24 included 188 innings with a 4.79 ERA. During that period, he struck out 20.6% of opponents, maintained a walk rate of 6.5%, and had a ground-ball rate of 39.2%. While these numbers were considered adequate for a fifth starter, his 2025-26 statistics have declined. Last year, the Padres gave Waldron only 4 2/3 innings in the majors, but he has pitched an additional 32 2/3 frames this season, interspersed with multiple injured list stints. Since last year, he has recorded a 7.23 ERA. His command has remained consistent with an 8.1% walk rate, but his strikeout rate has dropped to 18%, and he has been prone to home runs. His minor league performance last year also showed a 6.48 ERA over 90 1/3 innings.

Source: sportsnet.ca