Lucas Giolito was called up from Double-A San Antonio on May 17, 2026, and was scheduled to start for the Padres against the Mariners that night. The corresponding move sent Alek Jacob to Triple-A.
The right-hander’s promotion comes less than a month after he signed a one-year deal with San Diego that carries a $3 million base salary and $5 million in incentives. Giolito had spent the spring building up after missing camp, making four minor league starts and throwing 17 innings with a 4.76 ERA before the club decided he was ready for the majors.
His final tuneup was his best. In his most recent minor league start, Giolito went six innings against the Athletics’ Double-A affiliate, allowed one run and three hits, and did not issue a walk. Over those four outings, he struck out 19.5% of hitters and walked 7.8%.
The Padres have been piecing together their rotation all season, and they reached this point without an optionable starting pitcher on the roster. That left the bullpen and the back end of the staff as the only real places to create room. Mason Miller, Jeremiah Estrada and Bradgley Rodriguez were the relievers with minor league options.
Matt Waldron, meanwhile, had become the likeliest roster casualty because of a brutal return from the injured list. In five appearances, including three starts, he posted a 9.28 ERA, allowing 22 runs on 32 hits and seven walks in 21 1/3 innings while striking out 18 of 103 opponents for a 17.5% strikeout rate.
Craig Stammen called the situation early when asked about the possibility of a designated assignment for Waldron. Waldron did not sound surprised by the scrutiny, saying his ERA and numbers were not attractive and adding that he had no options, leaving the rest unsaid.
Giolito’s arrival gives San Diego a needed arm for a game it cannot afford to treat casually. The larger question is whether he can stabilize a rotation that has already been forced to improvise for weeks, or whether this is only the first shuffle in a staff still searching for something closer to normal.
