San Diego Padres pitcher Matt Waldron is recovering from surgery on what was first described as an ‘infection in his rear end’ and has since been revealed to be hemorrhoids.
‘[Waldron] had to have surgery to drain it and make it better,’ Padres manager Craig Stammen told reporters. ‘So he’s been in the hospital the last couple days.’
Waldron has been added to the injured list, but is not expected to be out for very long.
‘He’ll be out kind of week-to-week depending on how that incision heals and how he’s feeling moving around,’ Stammen continued.
‘We’ll take care of him the best we can, set him up here for the end of spring training, get him going, and then we’ll see where that takes us as the season goes and where his rehab process goes.’
San Diego Union-Tribune reporter Kevin Acee was among the first to clarify that Waldron’s issue specifically related to hemorrhoids.
San Diego Padres pitcher Matt Waldron is facing surgery on what was first described as an ‘infection in his rear end’ and was later revealed to be a hemorrhoid issue.
The 29-year-old knuckleballer struggled with injuries last season, suffering an oblique issue in spring training and making only one start in June before finishing the season in Triple-A. In 2025, he posted an unimpressive 4.91 earned-run average over 27 appearances (26 starts).
He would not be the first baseball player to miss time due to hemorrhoids.
Kansas City Royals legend George Brett left Game 2 of the 1980 World Series due to hemorrhoid pain. He would undergo minor surgery before returning for Game 3, going 2-for-4 with an RBI in a win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Despite the hemorrhoid issues, Brett would hit .375 in the series, which the Royals ultimately lost to the Phillies.
He was famously quoted after the World Series saying: ‘My problems are all behind me.’
Similarly, Argentinian soccer player Leo Ponzio ruptured a hemorrhoid in 2012, but continued playing and actually finished the match for River Plate.
