The San Diego Padres declined to sacrifice their top prospects to acquire a frontline starting pitcher before the July 31st trade deadline. Instead, their primary rotation addition was the awaited return of Michael King to the active roster. Unfortunately, this gamble has not paid off.
2025 season has been frustrating for King
The Padres were caught off guard with the announcement that King would be missing his scheduled start against the Los Angeles Dodgers and would be heading to the injured list with left knee inflammation. His absence
is news due to the Friars losing the series. The Dodgers gained temporary control of the National League West with less than 40 games remaining in the season.
It has been an injury-marred 2025 campaign for King. He spent a considerable amount of time on the IL with a pinched nerve in his right shoulder. It sidelined him since late May. Friday night was supposed to be King’s second start since coming off the IL. Now, his status for the remainder of the season is up in the air.
What does the future hold?
King’s MRI showed no structural damage; however, knee inflammation can still be an ominous injury. The rehabilitation process will focus on reducing pain and swelling through rest, icing, compression, and elevation of the knee.
Aside from an arm injury, knee trouble is an unwelcome development for pitchers. In King’s case, the pain cannot linger and limit his ability to get full extension on his delivery. Everyone is hoping King will be ready to pitch the first day he is eligible to come off the IL. But the Padres cannot rush him back on the mound and risk losing King for the postseason.
A starting rotation of Yu Darvish, Nick Pivetta, Dylan Cease, Nestor Cortes, and King is very formidable heading into October. However, you must add “if healthy” to the statement, as injuries have limited their effectiveness in 2025.
No team can be happy receiving news of this nature this late in the season. It was a setback that caught the Friars by surprise. Moving forward, the Padres need every pitcher on the staff to be ready to contribute by getting batters out, either as a starter or coming out of the bullpen.
