Former Guardians prospect's spring derailed with Padres due to bizarre injury

In 2020, the Cleveland Guardians traded pitching prospect Matt Waldron to the San Diego Padres as a part of their trade that's become an absolute fleece.

But one of the few reasons why the ill-fated trade hasn't been a complete loss for the Padres has been due to starting pitcher Matt Waldron, who served as a serviceable innings-eating starter for San Diego in 2024.

But any chance of Walron being able to recapture that form in 2026 came to a quick halt earlier this week when he underwent a procedure for a hemorrhoid that has resulted in him being shut down.

Ouch.

Former Guardians prospect Matt Waldron undergoes surgery for bizarre injury

Waldron's injury kind of popped up out of nowhere for the Padres, who are looking to rebound after they got bounced by the Cubs in the National League Wild Card Series last year.

While Waldron wasn't a lock to make the Padres' roster out of spring training, he was one of the team's top candidates for one of the final rotation spots and likely had a bit of leg up thanks to his aformentioned 2024 season.

In that campaign, Waldron posted a 4.91 ERA in 26 starts, which is a bit of a misleading statline. Waldron initially had a 3.79 ERA through his first 23 starts, but he allowed 26 runs over his final three starts, which brought about an end to his time in the rotation.

Despite those struggles, Waldron still finished 2024 with a solid 21.3% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate with an arsenal led by his knuckleball.

He only appeared in one game for the Padres last season (and allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings), while also finishing the year with a 6.48 ERA in Triple-A.

Waldron's biggest problem (like any knuckleball pitcher) was that he allowed too much hard contact. But now he has far bigger problems to worry about since it seems like he's going to be a bit behind thanks to his surgery (though he did play catch on Wednesday).

If Waldron's forced to miss any time, his absence could also open an opportunity for Triston McKenzie, who is in camp with the Padres on a minor league deal.

If anything, Waldron being back in the news is just another reminder of how good the Guardians' trade with the Padres was considering they got multiple MLB-caliber talents in exchange for Clevinger (who underwent Tommy John surgery not along after the trade), Waldron (who is a depth arm) and Greg Allen, who played in exactly one game with the Padres.