25-year-old David Reiss Knehr was born on November 3, 1996, he is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Knehr was selected in the 20th round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft by the San Diego Padres. After signing with the team, he was initially assigned to the rookie-level Arizona League Padres before being promoted to the Single-A Fort Wayne TinCaps of the Midwest League.
Knehr spent the 2019 season with the High-A Lake Elsinore Storm of the California League and went 3-5 with a 5.43 ERA, 83 strikeouts, and a 1.49 WHIP in 66.1 innings pitched. After the season, the Padres sent him to the Arizona Fall League, where he played for the Peoria Javelinas.
Knehr did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Knehr was named to the Padres’ 2021 Spring Training roster as a non-roster invitee and entered the season as the organization’s 24th-ranked prospect by MLB.com. He was assigned to the Double-A San Antonio Missions to begin the year.
On July 9, 2021, Knehr was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his MLB debut that day as the starting pitcher against the Colorado Rockies, pitching 3.2 innings of two-run ball. In the game, he also recorded his first career strikeout, striking out the Rockies outfielder Raimel Tapia.