Walker Buehler will begin the 2026 season with the San Diego Padres as his new team, and there had been concern about his health as a pitcher. Recently, however, he admitted that he no longer has elbow problems after trying several different treatments.
“I’ve tried every treatment, supplement, and vitamin you can… something got rid of it and it hasn’t come back… I don’t know exactly what did it that fixed it. I hope if it hurts again, we get lucky again,” Buehler told reporters in a video shared by Sammy Levitt of 97.3 The Fan SD.
Last season, Buehler finished the year with a 4.93 ERA, which was quite disappointing across 26 games for him. Most of those appearances came with the Red Sox before he moved to Philadelphia, where he pitched in just three games and posted a 3–0 record with a 0.66 ERA.
Buehler looks solid so far
In his spring training debut with the Padres, Buehler threw three innings, allowing two hits and two runs while striking out four. Those are solid numbers that could raise hope among San Diego fans heading into the 2026 season, as they hope the team can return to the postseason and make a deeper run.
Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla recently spoke candidly about Buehler: “He’s been good. He’s been throwing the ball well, just tweaking a few of his movements… right now he’s engaged in a movement we’re trying to acquire. I’m expecting him to get it done.”
Regarding his arrival with the Padres, Buehler said in mid-February: “It’s nice to finally be on a team that tries to win by playing hard / working together. Not just overpaying everyone because our ownership group is an investment firm managing $350 billion in assets.”
