Padres activate Estrada from injured list, DFA knuckleballer Waldron

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres reinforced their bullpen on Wednesday, activating right-hander Jeremiah Estrada ahead of their series finale against the Rockies. Estrada had missed nearly two months with right knee inflammation.

To clear space on the roster for Estrada, San Diego designated veteran right-hander Matt Waldron for assignment. That leaves Waldron’s status with the Padres in flux. The knuckleballer is in his sixth season with the organization, but can’t be sent to the Minors unless he first clears waivers.

Estrada’s return is an important one for the Padres, who have been relying heavily on Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon as their back-end options. Those two remain the primary high-leverage weapons in the San Diego ‘pen. But Estrada will serve as a third option and can help the Padres shorten games.

In 20 2/3 innings this season, Estrada has a 3.48 ERA. His return gives the Padres something closer to the super-’pen they’ve been envisioning all season.

Right-hander Jason Adam remains sidelined with a strained subscapularis muscle in his right shoulder and has yet to resume throwing. In an ideal world, the quartet of Miller-Morejon-Adam-Estrada lock down the back end of games down the stretch and into October. Adam could return sometime around late August or early September.

As for Waldron, it’s unclear if he would clear waivers. Just last week, the Padres designated Ron Marinaccio for assignment, and dealt him to Pittsburgh in exchange for international bonus pool money.

If Waldron clears waivers, he can be outrighted to Triple-A El Paso, where the Padres would prefer to stash him as pitching depth. But now that he’s been designated for assignment, the Padres can either trade him or place him on waivers, where he can be claimed by another club.

Waldron, known for his signature knuckleball that he throws at a clip of around 30%, has a 7.16 ERA in 10 appearances (three starts) this season.