Walker Buehler Says He’s Made 'Strides' With Padres Pitching Coach Ruben Niebla

As the San Diego Padres move into their second series of the 2026 season, the team is looking for some surprises to come out of the starting rotation. Due to all sorts of injuries and uncertainty from the group, the Padres aren't exactly sure what they will get from theirs starters night in and night out.

The team had multiple guys compete for the final spot in the rotation during spring, with right-hander Germán Márquez winning out. But due to injuries, veteran Walker Buehler also made the cut, and he will be making his Padres debut Monday night against the San Francisco Giants.

Buehler is coming off a rough 2025 season that saw him split time between the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies. The right-hander signed with the Padres this offseason on a minor league deal, with the hope that he would make the Opening Day roster.

His first goal was accomplished, but Buehler is now looking forward to showing what he can do out on the mound for the team. The veteran right-hander again praised Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla for helping him make "strides" in his game.

“I certainly think we’ve made some strides," Buehler said of working with Niebla to Annie Heilbrunn of the San Diego Union-Tribune. "It takes a minute to get on the same page with some of that stuff — I’m a pretty opinionated guy in terms of how I like to throw and how I like to move and things like that. I don’t think I’m the easiest guy to deal with just in the fact that my delivery’s been a little wonky for a couple years and so we’re in between, ‘What can I do now and what did I used to do?’

"But I think we’ve kind of figured some things out, and as I said, I think the culture here and being a starting pitcher here is important … it’s part of the fabric of this organization.”

“I don't think I'm the easiest guy to deal with, just in the fact that my delivery has been a little wonky for a couple of years. So we're in between, 'What can I do now and what did I used to do?’”

Looking forward to seeing Walker Buehler take the mound for the #Padres tonight: pic.twitter.com/ogEawRWVzp
— Annie Heilbrunn (@annieheilbrunn) March 30, 2026

Just a few years ago, Buehler was seen as a top arm in the game of baseball. But injuries have derailed his career, and now he has to prove himself all over again.

Between the Red Sox and Phillies last year, Buehler posted an ERA of 4.93 over 26 appearances (24 starts). The Padres are hoping for better results from him this season, and he sought out San Diego in free agency because of the reputation that the organization has built.

San Diego manager Craig Stammen praised Buehler for buying into the plan throughout the spring. Buehler has been a team player and is now looking to put his stamp on this team for the 2026 season.

“He bought into our philosophy and the overall holistic approach to making him a better pitcher,” Stammen said. “Him buying into that so quickly and seeing success with it over the last couple starts made us feel really comfortable putting him on the team.”