Matt Waldron set to make season debut on Monday against the Phillies

The San Diego Padres are looking to rebound after a tough series loss on the road to the Cincinnati Reds. The Padres will continue their road trip as they travel to Philadelphia to take on the Phillies. 

The Padres enter the series against the Phillies with a 45-38 record and are one game out of the final NL Wild Card spot as the MLB All-Star break approaches.

Padres pitcher Matt Waldron is set to make his season debut in game one of the series against the Phillies. Waldron missed the first three months of the season after suffering a strained left oblique during the spring.

During his rehab process, Waldron has been spending time in the Padres' Triple-A team, the El Paso Chihuahuas, to help prepare him for Monday’s start. He made his last appearance in El Paso on Friday. 

Waldron has been a starting pitcher with the Padres for the last two seasons. In his career with the Padres, Waldron has appeared in 35 games and has a career pitching record of 8-14.

He has a 4.79 career ERA and has recorded 164 strikeouts. Last season with the Padres, he had a 7-11 pitching record in 27 games played. Waldron finished the season with an ERA of 4.91 and recorded 131 strikeouts after only having 31 in his first year. 

Waldron is expected to take over for right-handed pitcher Ryan Bergert in the Padres' rotation. The Padres recently placed Bergert on the 15-day injured list earlier this week with a right forearm contusion.