The Los Angeles Dodgers have faced many familiar faces on the mound, but one former pitcher has yet to showcase his arsenal against them.

San Diego Padres pitcher Walker Buehler is lined up to start in Friday’s series opener versus the back-to-back World Series champions at Petco Park.

After a shaky start with the Padres, the right-hander has seemingly found his rhythm. Buehler is sporting a 3.96 ERA in his last 15 starts for the Friars.

Buehler spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Dodgers, but chose to part ways with the team in free agency during the 2024 offseason. The Dodgers reportedly offered Buehler $20 million to return to LA, but he ultimately decided on signing a $21.05 million deal with the Boston Red Sox for the 2025 campaign.

Buehler’s time with the Red Sox proved nightmarish as he posted a 5.45 ERA across 112.1 innings of work in Boston. The team chose to release Buehler and he was picked up by the Philadelphia Phillies, where he tossed 13.2 frames with a 0.66 ERA.

The lackluster performance by Buehler caused serious doubt about the right-hander’s abilities following his second Tommy John surgery. The Padres signed the 31-year-old to a minor league deal in the winter and he earned his way to the Opening Day rotation.

Despite a shaky start, Buehler has remained a staple of the Padres rotation and he may very well face his former team Friday in what is poised to be an exciting matchup.

Since his 2024 World Series heroics, the right-hander has yet to feature in the postseason. If president of baseball operations A.J. Preller orchestrates multiple trades at the deadline, there’s a chance the Padres make a deep playoff run with Buehler in the rotation.

As Dodgers’ opponents learned in October 2024, the right-hander shines when the lights are brightest.