Padres Add Walker Buehler to NLDS Roster as Elimination Looms

Buehler returns as San Diego faces elimination

Walker Buehler is back on the Padres’ NLDS roster, giving San Diego another pitching option as it faces elimination. The team reinstated him from the paternity list Monday and removed Randy Vásquez, who had been added as a replacement for the series’ first two games. The move gives manager Craig Stammen another arm to consider after two losses in Milwaukee, though a roster change alone can’t solve the larger problem: San Diego needs three straight wins to advance.

Vásquez’s departure reflects the short-term choices teams make in a postseason series. A long reliever can provide coverage if a starter exits early, but the Padres didn’t use him in the first two games and now must manage without him unless an injury opens a roster spot. That leaves less room for a pitcher whose value often depends on circumstances the team can’t predict in advance.

A role shaped by the series

Manager Craig Stammen told reporters, including Jared Greenspan of MLB.com, that Buehler could start Game 4. He’ll also be available out of the bullpen for Game 3. His role may depend on how the series unfolds: the Padres hope to win three straight after losing both games in Milwaukee.

That flexibility matters because the Padres can’t treat Game 3 as a routine step toward a later decision. They’re facing an immediate win-or-go-home situation, so Buehler may be needed before a possible Game 4 ever arrives. If you're working through a postseason pitching plan, this is the uncomfortable tradeoff: save a starter for a game that may happen, or use him now to keep the season alive.

Nick Pivetta is set to start Game 3 against the Brewers’ Dustin May. Neither club has announced a starter for a possible Game 4. The uncertainty leaves San Diego with a decision point that depends on both the score and the condition of its available pitchers.

Workload is already a concern

San Diego leaned heavily on its top relievers in the first two games, leaving Vásquez, a long reliever, unused. He’s out for the rest of the series unless an injury opens a roster spot. The bullpen workload followed two close games: Robbie Ray exited before completing the third inning in a 3-2 Game 1 loss, while Michael King pitched more than five innings in Game 2. Those outings placed different demands on the staff, but both games required San Diego to account for substantial work before the series turned against it.

The Game 2 finish made that burden especially costly. The Padres still fell when Jackson Chourio hit a two-run walk-off single against Mason Miller with two outs in the ninth. A late loss can leave a team with little time to reset its bullpen, even when the game itself stays close. And this is the part most people overlook: close games can still consume the pitchers a club most wants available for the next one.

What Buehler’s season says—and doesn’t

Buehler made 32 starts this season, posting a 4.63 ERA and a 20.1% strikeout rate while ranking second on the team in innings. After a difficult start to the year, he recorded a 3.62 ERA following the All-Star break. That improvement gives the Padres a reason to consider him for an important assignment, but his season line also suggests there’s no guarantee he’ll provide a clean, extended outing.

The numbers here are mixed. His later results offer a more encouraging recent stretch, while the full-season figures describe a pitcher whose performance wasn’t consistently dominant. In a short series, that distinction matters: one outing can carry unusual weight, and the team has to judge Buehler’s current readiness alongside the need to preserve other arms.

Flexibility with little margin for error

Buehler’s return adds options across the rotation and bullpen, but options only help if San Diego can turn them into outs. The Padres have to decide whether his best use is a start in a possible Game 4 or relief work in Game 3, with the answer shaped by the game’s demands and the series’ survival. There’s no comfortable path through that choice.

For now, the immediate task is clear: Pivetta gets the ball in Game 3, while Buehler is available if the situation calls for him. A win would keep the series alive and make the next pitching decision relevant. A loss would end the discussion. The margin is that thin.