Walker Buehler Has 5-Word Message to Potentially Making Padres' Opening Day Roster

The San Diego Padres are getting ready for the start of the 2026 MLB season next week, and final roster decisions are coming along nicely. San Diego has a lot of players to cut from the spring roster as figure out who will make up the squad on Opening Day against the Detroit Tigers.

One of these players is veteran right-hander Walker Buehler, who has been competing for the final spot in the starting rotation. Buehler signed with the Padres this offseason on a minor league contract, and he has been working hard to impress the team.

Through three appearances in spring training, Buehler has posted an ERA of 3.09, while striking out 13 batters over 11.2 innings of work. His performance could give him the upper hand when it comes to the final rotation spot, but Buehler isn't worrying about anything.

When asked about what he thought his chances were to make the cut, the veteran didn't hold back. Buehler has been around long enough to understand how business works in the MLB, and he is simply letting the chips fall as they may.

“That’s above my pay grade,” he said.

With how many questions are still circling the Padres' starting rotation entering the regular season, Buehler could be added to keep them afloat. Buehler has the type of skills necessary to help this club out, and San Diego knows him well from all the battles against him over the year.

Buehler split the 2025 season between the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies. With Boston, he struggled mightily, posting an ERA of 5.45 over 23 appearances with the team. He was much better with Philadelphia in limited time.

San Diego lost ace Dylan Cease in free agency this offseason, while also losing Yu Darvish for the entire season to injury. Veteran Joe Musgrove also won't be starting the year with the team after he suffered an injury setback, leaving some big holes for this team.

There is also a scenario where the Padres don't bring a fifth starter on the roster to open the season. This has been something that the organization has reportedly been weighing, and there would be pros and cons to this idea.

San Diego wants to make sure that they can keep themselves competitive to open the season, especially with the goal of the club to win the World Series. But with all the questions around the starting rotation, it could be tough, as it's clearly the biggest weakness on the roster.

As for Buehler, he will find out shortly whether he makes the cut. And if he does, the Padres could be getting a former All-Star who is motivated to prove himself in the big leagues again.

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