Walker Buehler

Walker Buehler

31-Year-Old PitcherSP
San Diego Padres
2026 Stats
W-L
0-0
ERA
0.00
WHIP
0.00
K
0
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
W-L
ERA
WHIP
K
SV
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2026 Fantasy Outlook
Buehler is now a free agent after an ineffective season pitching for both Boston and Philadelphia. Buehler pitched hs way out of Boston with a 5.45 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP over 22 starts while winning 7 of those starts thanks to the Boston offense. He finished the season with Philadelphia spot starting and continuing his wild ways finishing with 61 walks in 126 innings of work between the two cities. His 5.5% K-BB% combined with a 1.6 HR/9 makes it easy to see why the ERA was where it was as Buehler's production and skills have been in a free-fall since his peak in 2021 and mmissing 18 months due to Tommy John Surgery. Command is the last thing that comes back for pitchers after the surgery, but Buehler now has a 9.8% walk rate and a 1.7 HR/9 in the 201.1 post-surgical innings he has worked with the Dodgers, Red Sox, and Phillies. Perhaps he can find success in a very cozy stadium out of the big market spotlight. Until he does, keep him off your active roster. Read Past Outlooks
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RANKS
Rest of Season
From Preseason
#416
ADP
League Majors
Bats R
Throws R
40 Man Yes
Height 6'2"
Weight 195
DOB 7/28/1994
Born Lexington, KY
College Vanderbilt
Drafted 1st Rd 2015 LAD
Signed a one-year contract with the Padres in February of 2026.
Contract selected
PSan Diego Padres
March 25, 2026
The Padres selected Buehler's contract from Triple-A El Paso on Wednesday.
Analysis
Manager Craig Stammen confirmed over the weekend that Buehler had won a spot on San Diego's Opening Day roster, and Wednesday's move makes it official. The 31-year-old righty struggled to the tune of a 4.93 ERA and 1.52 WHIP across 126 regular-season innings last year with Philadelphia and Boston, and he was lit up for seven earned runs over just 3.1 frames during his final start in the Cactus League. If he fails to turn things around quickly, he could be kicked out of the Friars' rotation once Joe Musgrove (elbow) and/or Griffin Canning (Achilles) return from the IL.
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2026 MLB Game Log
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Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2024
 
 
-18%
BAA vs RHP
2026
No Stats
2025
 
 
-26%
BAA vs RHP
2024
 
 
-5%
BAA vs RHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2024vs Left .299 493 86 51 129 21 3 16
Since 2024vs Right .246 416 70 38 90 10 0 22
2026vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2026vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2025vs Left .300 316 49 36 82 12 1 8
2025vs Right .221 249 43 25 48 4 0 14
2024vs Left .296 177 37 15 47 9 2 8
2024vs Right .282 167 27 13 42 6 0 8
More Splits→ View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2024
 
 
-34%
ERA at Home
2026
No Stats
2025
 
 
-37%
ERA at Home
2024
 
 
-30%
ERA at Home
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2024Home 4.15 1.41 110.2 6 6 0 7.4 3.6 1.3
Since 2024Away 6.25 1.68 90.2 5 7 0 6.5 4.5 2.2
2026Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2026Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2025Home 3.84 1.39 65.2 5 2 0 7.1 4.4 1.4
2025Away 6.12 1.66 60.1 5 5 0 6.0 4.3 1.8
2024Home 4.60 1.44 45.0 1 4 0 7.8 2.4 1.2
2024Away 6.53 1.71 30.1 0 2 0 7.4 4.7 3.0
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Stat Review
How does Walker Buehler compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
1.51
 
K/9
6.6
 
BB/9
4.4
 
HR/9
1.6
 
Fastball
93.9 mph
 
ERA
4.93
 
WHIP
1.52
 
BABIP
.291
 
GB/FB
1.39
 
Left On Base
73.7%
 
Exit Velocity
81.8 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
5.4%
 
Spin Rate
2310 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
23.3%
 
Swinging Strike
8.1%
 
Prospect Rankings History
View Complete Walker Buehler Prospect Ranking History
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
Perhaps no player improved his free-agency stock during the 2024 postseason more than Buehler, who wiped away some of his difficult regular season with a strong playoff run that included getting the final three outs in Game 5 of the World Series to forever cement his image in Dodgers lore. The question MLB teams (and fantasy managers) will have to ponder is whether Buehler's strong finish to the postseason (he didn't allow a run over 10 innings while notching a 13:4 K:BB across his final three outings) was a long-awaited sign that he could return to the form that made him an All-Star in 2019 and 2021 prior to his 2022 Tommy John surgery or simply a case of a pitcher letting it all hang loose with a championship in sight. It would be unwise to ignore Buehler's unattractive stats (5.38 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 18.6% strikeout rate) during 16 regular-season starts, but his fastball velocity remained viable at 95.0 mph, and we know that pitchers can need varying amounts of time to get right again following the TJ procedure. Buehler landed in Boston on a one-year, $21.05 million contract, there's upside here for fantasy managers willing to take a gamble on him as a back-end piece of their rotation.
Buehler threw as many pitches as you did in 2023, so you have that going for you, which is nice. What fantasy managers hoped would be a cinderella story out of nowhere with Buehler coming back late in 2023 to help in the stretch run never materialized as we were all yet again reminded Tommy John surgery recoveries are not the same and are not guaranteed. We know how talented Buehler was before his surgery, but 2024 is an all too familiar story of risk versus reward. It is extremely unlikely Buehler is going to work over 160 innings in 2024, and we do not know how much rust he has to shake off. Buehler also isn't expected to be available at the start of the season, though he isn't expected to miss too much time. His first pitch in a regular season game will come nearly 20 months from his last pitch of 2022. Your ability to roster him depends on your roster construction as well as your appetite for extreme risk.
The Dodgers rewarded Buehler for his stellar 2021 season with their opening-day start. After six starts, his ERA was 1.96 with a 1.06 WHIP, but only 32 punchouts in 36.2 innings was a concern. Buehler started six more games, recording a 6.67 ERA and 1.59 WHIP with 26 strikeouts in 28.1 frames. He was then put on the IL with elbow discomfort which was later diagnosed as a flexor strain in his throwing elbow. While recovering, Buehler had a bone spur removed from his right elbow. In August, the Dodgers decided to give up on a September return and Buehler underwent Tommy John surgery for a second time, with the first back in 2015. Buehler is likely to miss the entire 2023 season. Keeper leagues may want to stash the righty but hoping for tangible help down the stretch in redraft leagues is fruitless.
In this era of short starts from starting pitchers, Buehler is something of a unicorn in MLB (non-Ohtani Division). Remarkably, Buehler completed at least six innings in each of his first 16 starts to begin 2021, and went at least six in 26 of his first 27 starts through the end of August. There were a few bumps in the road in September and in the postseason, but Buehler was one of four pitchers to clear 200 innings during the 2021 regular season and he tacked on 18.1 frames in the playoffs. The right-hander held opponents to a .197 batting average, ranking second among qualifiers behind only Max Scherzer, and while his strikeout rate dipped to a career-low 26.0%, his 33.1 O-Swing%, 11.6 SwStr% and 29.6 CSW% were all right in line with career norms. Pitching for one of the best teams in baseball, Buehler has a 31-8 record in the regular season over the past three seasons. This combination of skills, team context and consistency with workload make Buehler a first-round consideration.
A pair of IL stints due to a persistent blister on his pitching hand limited Buehler to just eight regular-season starts in 2020, but he nonetheless continued to demonstrate why he is touted as one of MLB's best young hurlers. The right-hander got off to a slow start after a delayed ramp-up to the shortened campaign, yet he still managed a 3.44 ERA, 28.6 K% and career-best 0.95 WHIP. His fastball was again the star of the show as Buehler placed in the 88th percentile with a 96.8 mph average velocity on his heater and in the 97th percentile for fastball spin while holding hitters to a .102 BA and .119 SLG on his four-seamer. The 26-year-old continued to shine in the postseason, turning in a 1.80 ERA with 39 strikeouts over 25 innings. There may be a handful of pitchers chosen ahead of Buehler in your fantasy draft; if he gets to you in the second round, run a celebratory lap around your home.
Buehler didn't take many days off, posting the first of what should be many 30-start campaigns. Early, the Dodgers limited Buehler's in-game workload as he's just two years removed from Tommy John surgery and they wanted their prized righty fresh for the playoffs. Buehler did his part, allowing just one run in 12.2 postseason frames, but his club of course came up short. With Buehler fronting their rotation, the Dodgers' championship window remains wide open. The 25-year-old right-hander deploys a four-pitch arsenal, featuring a 97-mph fastball he used 60% of the time along with a slider, cutter and curve evenly split the rest of the time. The result was a 3.26 ERA and 1.04 WHIP, with a 24.2 K-BB%, seventh best among qualified starters. Most will group Gerrit Cole, Jacob deGrom, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer together. Buehler belongs in the next tier, perhaps even at the top.
Buehler was a blast to watch pitch as a rookie in 2018 as he showcased an electric fastball along with two different breaking balls. It was easy to see why he was a first-round draft pick and it is going to be hard to restrain ourselves this draft season in chasing him for our rosters. However, that pursuit should be exercised with an amount of caution. Buehler already has one Tommy John surgery under his belt, which limited the amount of pitching he could do in the minor leagues. Those restrictions were not present last season as Buehler threw a total of 173 innings, nearly doubling his total from 2017. At age 24, to have a workload jump of that size is a risk to keep in mind if you decide you are all in on rostering the young flamethrower. Everything else we want to see in a young future ace is here (21.1% K-BB, 50% GB%), and the team context is certainly favorable.
The 2016 season ended with whispers and a five-inning sample that suggested Buehler could be in for a breakout 2017. He delivered on that promise, and then some. Buehler, who underwent Tommy John surgery after being selected with the No. 24 pick in the 2015 draft, returned at the end of 2016 throwing harder than ever, sitting in the mid-90s and touching 99 mph with his fastball -- a byproduct of the Dodgers’ weighted ball program. He maintained that velocity over his first full pro season while also showing off a plus-plus curveball and hard low-90s cutter/slider. That pitch mix was predictably deadly against minor-league hitters, catapulting Buehler to the majors for a September run as a reliever. Given Buehler’s velocity jump and injury history, he seems a bit riskier than other top pitching prospects, but his upside is undeniable. The Dodgers will likely allow him to throw around 135 innings this season, presumably beginning the year at Triple-A. If he shows improved control, he could spend most of the summer pitching every fifth day in the big leagues.
The Dodgers took a calculated gamble when they selected Buehler with the 24th overall pick in the 2015 draft. Once considered a likely top-10 pick, a pre-draft elbow issue caused him to fall, and he ended up needing Tommy John surgery that August. Buehler returned to the mound late last season, and while he only logged five innings of game action, the early returns suggest the Dodgers may have hit big on their roll of the dice. He touched 99 mph with his fastball in instructs after sitting in the mid-90s during brief appearances in the Arizona and Midwest leagues. It is hard to expect him to maintain that velocity over lengthier outings in the coming years, but even if he settles in at 93-95 mph with his fastball, that makes for a plus offering. He also features a potentially plus curveball and a hard slider/cutter that could be a third plus pitch. An average changeup could round out the repertoire, and at that point Buehler would look the part of a No. 2 starter.
The team's top draft pick in the 2015 amateur draft (24th overall), Buehler dropped a bit down teams' boards due to an elbow injury last spring, and the injury ultimately led to Tommy John surgery this past August. When healthy, the 6-foot-2 Buehler features a mid-90s fastball, slider, curve, and changeup with solid command and the ability to miss bats. Buehler's last 14 starts for Vanderbilt resulted in an 81:25 K:BB over 78.2 innings. He seems likely to miss most, if not all of the 2016 season recuperating, but it is possible he could join a full-season affiliate late in the year, or he could pitch in the Arizona Fall League. Once healthy, he has the ability to move quickly as a college draftee and settle in as a No. 3 big league starter. He's won a College World Series and a Cape Cod Championship, a pedigree that the Dodgers certainly hope carries over.
More Fantasy News
Lit up in final spring start
PSan Diego Padres
March 23, 2026
Buehler allowed seven runs on 11 hits and one walk while striking out three batters over 3.1 innings in a Cactus League start against Arizona on Sunday.
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Makes Opening Day roster
PSan Diego Padres
March 21, 2026
Padres manager Craig Stammen confirmed Saturday that Buehler will make the team's Opening Day roster, Sammy Levitt of 97.3 The Fan San Diego reports.
Analysis
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Likely to make Opening Day rotation
PSan Diego Padres
March 16, 2026
Buehler is trending toward beginning the regular season as part of the Padres' starting rotation, Manny Randhawa of MLB.com reports.
Analysis
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Says elbow is pain free
PSan Diego Padres
March 5, 2026
Buehler said Thursday that his right elbow stopped hurting about a month ago after trying various treatments, vitamins and supplements, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.
Analysis
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Latches on with Padres
PSan Diego Padres
February 16, 2026
Buehler signed a minor-league contract with San Diego on Monday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Analysis
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Expected to land rotation role
PSan Diego Padres
March 21, 2026
The Padres will carry Buehler on their Opening Day roster and are likely to add him to the rotation to open the 2026 season, according to Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Analysis
Buehler would have been able to request his release Sunday if the Padres didn't add him to the roster, but that won't be the case. The veteran hurler is a capable innings-eater at this point in his career, and he's expected to compete for the No. 4 role in the rotation with German Marquez. Both are expected to round out the season-opening starting five behind Nick Pivetta, Michael King and Randy Vasquez. Buehler had a 4.93 ERA across 126 innings during the 2025 regular season.
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