What Walker Buehler, Germán Márquez have shown so far

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 31: German Marquez #33 of the San Diego Padres pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Petco Park on March 31, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images The San Diego Padres signed a starter in the offseason that they knew would not be ready for at least a month to two months in Griffin Canning. With Spring Training well underway, they discovered that their rehabbing workhorse, Joe Musgrove, was not recovering well from his buildup and he was put on hold.

Matt Waldron, who worked hard during the offseason to lose weight, increase strength and improve his velocity, suffered an infection of a hemorrhoid and needed surgery. That left two reclamation projects, Walker Buehler and Germán Márquez, as the last two pitchers to fill out the rotation. Both left-handers JP Sears and Marco Gonzales, as well as righty Triston McKenzie, showed early that they didn’t have the needed command to break camp with the team.

At least Buehler and Márquez are experienced veterans who know how to pitch. Even with diminished stuff after elbow surgeries, they both showed the ability in spring games to develop into acceptable fill-ins for a while. So, after two starts each, what have we learned about Buehler and Márquez?

Walker Buehler In 6. 2 innings pitched over two starts, Buehler has had two good innings to start each game. Then everything falls apart and he can’t get it back.