The knuckleball is back. A pitch almost extinct in Major League Baseball will make its return in earnest on Monday night. That’s when the San Diego Padres will send Matt Waldron to the mound to take on the Philadelphia Phillies. Waldron, a 28-year old right-hander, throws the knuckler as his primary pitch. He began the season injured, and then when he returned from injury, Waldron was sent to Triple-A El Paso. In the hitter-friendly environment there, he had a 5.24 ERA in five starts with 22 strikeouts in 22.1 innings pitched. The Padres needed a starter on Monday, though, and so they called on Waldron. He has pitched in 35 major league games across the 2023 and 2024 seasons. In that span, he’s