When the San Diego Padres signed veteran right-hander Walker Buehler in February, there weren't a ton of firm expectations from the team. After all, Buehler had just come off a poor 2025 season that saw him split time between the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies. In 2024, he struggled with the Los Angeles Dodgers before coming up big in the postseason. The team then elected to not give him a qualifying offer or re-sign him in free agency. Buehler signed a minor league deal to join San Diego, and while he was expected to compete for a spot in the Opening Day starting rotation, there was no guarantee . The right-hander was going to have to prove himself to this organization, and after some shaky first outings , the signing has looked like a smart one. To this point, Buehler has made eight starts for the Padres, posting an ERA of 5.20 overall. But the right-hander has looked much better over his last few starts, allowing a total of just two runs in two of his previous three outings.…