Matt Waldron Bio
Matthew Lawrence Waldron is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023 and is recognized as one of the rare modern pitchers to feature a knuckleball in his repertoire. Wearing jersey number 61, Waldron has served as both a starter and a swing option in the Padres organization.
A product of Nebraska high school and college baseball, Waldron developed into a starting-caliber arm through the minor league system before reaching the majors. Through May 14, 2026, he had compiled a 9–17 win–loss record with a 5.25 earned run average and 189 strikeouts in his MLB career.
Early Life and Background
Matthew Lawrence Waldron was born on September 26, 1996, in the United States. He grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, a region that has produced several notable baseball talents over the years. He attended Westside High School in Omaha, where he quickly emerged as one of the top prep pitchers in the state.
As a senior in 2015, Waldron starred on the mound for Westside, going 9–0 with a 1.29 earned run average, 82 strikeouts, and only seven walks over 65 innings pitched. He also threw a no-hitter in the Class A Baseball State Championship, helping lead Westside to its third consecutive state title. Despite his dominant senior campaign, he went unselected in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft.
Following high school, Waldron enrolled at the University of Nebraska, where he played college baseball for the Nebraska Cornhuskers across four seasons. In his senior year of 2019, he made 14 starts and went 6–4 with a 3.05 ERA and 93 strikeouts over 100 and one-third innings, cementing his status as a professional prospect.
Path to Baseball
After his senior season at Nebraska, Waldron was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 18th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the Indians and began his professional career that summer, making his debut with the rookie-level Arizona League Indians before being promoted to the Low-A Mahoning Valley Scrappers. Over 45 and two-thirds innings between the two affiliates, he posted a 4–0 record with a 2.96 ERA.
Waldron did not appear in a minor league game in 2020 because the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Later that year, on August 31, 2020, the Indians traded him along with Mike Clevinger and Greg Allen to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Austin Hedges, Josh Naylor, Cal Quantrill, Gabriel Arias, Owen Miller, and Joey Cantillo. That trade marked the turning point in his professional career and placed him within a Padres system known for developing pitching talent.
Matt Waldron Career
Early Career (2019–2020)
Waldron’s early professional years were spent in the lower levels of the Cleveland Indians organization. His 4–0 record and 2.96 ERA across the Arizona League Indians and the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in 2019 demonstrated his ability to handle professional hitters in short stints. The canceled 2020 season interrupted his development, but the August trade to San Diego ultimately gave him a new home and a clearer path forward.
Joining the Padres organization just before the 2021 season, Waldron began refining his craft under a new coaching staff. The early years of his Padres tenure would prove foundational for the adjustments that eventually made him a major league contributor.
San Diego Padres Breakthrough (2021–2022)
Waldron opened the 2021 season with the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps and was promoted to the Double-A San Antonio Missions in July. Prior to that season, he had begun throwing knuckleballs, an adjustment that would later define his big-league identity. He finished 2021 with 20 starts, going 3–8 with a 4.25 ERA and 103 strikeouts over 103 and two-thirds innings.
In 2022, Waldron returned to San Antonio to begin the year and was promoted to the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas in late June. Over 25 combined starts, he went 5–10 with a 6.26 ERA and 96 strikeouts across 113 and two-thirds innings, gaining valuable experience against more advanced hitters at the highest minor league level.
San Diego Padres Era (2023–Present)
Waldron began 2023 in Triple-A El Paso, where he struggled to a 1–6 record and a 7.02 ERA with 75 strikeouts in 66 and two-thirds innings across 14 games. On June 23, 2023, the Padres announced that he would be promoted to make his major league debut the following day as the starting pitcher. He debuted at Petco Park against the Washington Nationals, pitching four and two-thirds innings and allowing four hits and two earned runs while striking out two batters in a 2–0 loss. He became the first pitcher to throw a knuckleball in a major league game since Baltimore Orioles pitcher Mickey Jannis in June 2021.
Recalled several times during the rest of 2023, Waldron made eight appearances including six starts, going 1–3 with a 4.35 ERA and 31 strikeouts over 41 and one-third innings. In 2024, he opened the year in San Diego’s starting rotation and was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on August 22, 2024. He appeared in 27 games with 26 starts for the Padres that season, going 7–11 with a 4.91 ERA and 133 strikeouts across 146 and two-thirds innings.
Driving Style and Strengths
Unlike recent knuckleball specialists such as R. A. Dickey and Tim Wakefield, Waldron does not rely on the knuckleball as his primary pitch. His main offering is a four-seam fastball, supported by a slider and a knuckleball. The knuckleball is used to keep hitters off balance rather than as his go-to weapon, giving him a unique look on the mound.
Notable Events and Milestones
Waldron’s biggest early milestone came on June 24, 2023, when he became the first MLB pitcher to throw a knuckleball since Mickey Jannis in June 2021. His Petco Park debut against the Nationals established him as a starter of note within the Padres organization.
Matt Waldron Career Wins
Across his major league tenure with the San Diego Padres, Waldron has accumulated nine wins in his appearances from 2023 through the early portion of 2026. His first major league victory came during the 2023 season, while his 2024 campaign produced seven wins in 26 starts. Through May 14, 2026, he had totaled 9–17 as a big leaguer with 189 strikeouts.
MLB Highlights
Waldron’s 2024 season stands as his most productive MLB year to date, as he logged 27 games and 26 starts, going 7–11 with a 4.91 ERA and 133 strikeouts over 146 and two-thirds innings. His major league debut against the Washington Nationals in 2023 marked the beginning of his MLB win column, even though that outing ended in a loss. He has continued to appear in the Padres system as both a starter and a depth option.
Other Wins and Performances
At the minor league level, Waldron compiled a 4–0 record with a 2.96 ERA in 2019 between the Arizona League Indians and the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. In 2025, he pitched 90 and one-third innings across 21 starts with the Arizona Complex League Padres, San Antonio, and El Paso, going 7–4 with a 6.48 ERA and 85 strikeouts.
Matt Waldron Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Waldron’s twin brother, Mike, also played on the Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball team, giving the pitcher a direct family connection to the game at the college level.
Personal Life
Matthew Lawrence Waldron grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and has continued to be associated with the Cornhuskers baseball program through his family ties. He made his home in the Padres organization after the 2020 trade from Cleveland.
2025 Season Performance
Waldron’s 2025 campaign began with a setback, as he suffered a left oblique muscle strain during a spring training outing on March 15, 2025. He was placed on the injured list to open the year and was transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 11, 2025, delaying his return to the mound.
He was activated from the injured list on June 1 and optioned to Triple-A El Paso, then recalled on June 30 to make his 2025 major league debut as San Diego’s starting pitcher against the Philadelphia Phillies. In that outing, he gave up four runs and six walks while striking out three batters in a 4–0 loss before being optioned back to El Paso. His lone major league appearance of the 2025 season ended with a 0–1 record and a 7.71 ERA.
Across the minors in 2025, Waldron logged 90 and one-third innings in 21 starts with the Arizona Complex League Padres, San Antonio, and El Paso, going 7–4 with a 6.48 ERA and 85 strikeouts. On February 24, 2026, the Padres shut him down indefinitely after he underwent a procedure for a hemorrhoid, putting his near-term availability in question heading into the 2026 season.
