Michael

King

Originally it was scheduled to be a touch-and-feel session for King, but he felt so good on the mound that it wound up being a full bullpen for him. He’s still at least a few weeks away from even facing live hitters, but this was a nice step in the right direction for the star right-hander. King is tentatively expected to rejoin the Padres’ rotation at some point in August.

It’s merely a procedural move as King will be on the shelf through the All-Star break and is still several weeks away from pitching in minor league rehab games. It’s challenging to forecast the 30-year-old fantasy ace making it back before sometime in August at this juncture. He played catch on Monday and is scheduled to throw a touch-and-feel bullpen session later this week. He’s been out since late May recovering from a pinched nerve in his right shoulder.

Padres manager Mike Shildt confirmed last week that King, who is recovering from a pinched nerve in his right shoulder, will be on the shelf until after next month’s All-Star break. The 30-year-old fantasy ace is starting to build up his throwing progression and doesn’t appear close to facing hitters yet. There should be some additional clarity on his status at some point in the coming weeks.

Shildt added that King has not kicked off a full-fledged throwing progression and remains limited to throwing lightly at this stage in his recovery. The 30-year-old fantasy ace hit the injured list back in late May with a pinched nerve in his right shoulder. Fantasy managers shouldn’t anticipate him making it back until at least late July, even in a best-case scenario.

Shildt added that King remains in a “holding pattern” as the club’s medical staff determines the best treatment options and determines whether there are alternatives besides the rest and rehabilitation route. The 30-year-old righty remains without a definitive return timetable after hitting the injured list back in late May with a pinched nerve in his right shoulder. Fantasy managers shouldn’t expect him back any time in the near future.

King was diagnosed with a pinched nerve in his shoulder after the Padres claimed that he had just slept on his shoulder wrong. The 30-year-old has reported that there is “incremental improvement in his shoulder,” but Padres manager Mike Shildt said “‘Incremental’ would probably be in caps.” King expressed optimism “that he could return in weeks rather than months,” but the Padres themselves have cautioned that they won’t have a firm timeline until his nerve heals. That means there’s a chance we don’t see King back on the mound until July.

The good news is that a second opinion confirmed that King is not dealing with any sort of structural damage in his shoulder. The bad news is that there’s still no clear timeline on when he may be able to rejoin the Padres’ rotation. He has been taking anti-inflammatories to help with the pinched nerve and there’s a chance that his issue could subside and he could be ready to resume throwing in just a few days. There’s also a chance that it could linger for months. As frustrating as it is, at least it’s not a structural issue that’s going to cost him a major chunk of the 2025 season.

The exact severity remains a bit murky after King was scratched from Saturday’s start against Atlanta after sleeping awkwardly on his right shoulder. The 30-year-old fantasy ace, who holds a stellar 2.59 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 64/17 K/BB ratio across 55 2/3 innings (10 starts) this season, is likely to miss at least a few weeks, even in a best-case scenario. There should be an official update on his status at some point in the coming days.

Not great. Shoulder issues are typically extremely bad news and it certainly sounds like King could be looking at a trip to the injured list. The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee reports that there’s optimism it’s not a long-term concern after King slept awkwardly on his shoulder. We’ll see. The 29-year-old fantasy ace, who boasts a sparkling 2.59 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 64/17 K/BB ratio across 55 2/3 innings (10 starts), will presumably head for further evaluation and imaging to determine the severity of the issue before a decision is made. It’ll be Stephen Kolek drawing the starting assignment on Saturday against Atlanta in his place. There should be some clarity on his status at some point this weekend.

King racked up eight strikeouts on the day while allowing only one base on balls. The bulk of the damage done against him came in the fourth inning as Randy Arozarena smacked a solo home run, Leody Taveras added an RBI double and Miles Mastrobuoni delivered a run-scoring single. King got 10 whiffs on 96 pitches on the day — seven on his changeup — while registering a CSW of 32 percent. He’ll look to bounce back as he totes a stellar 2.59 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and a 64/17 K/BB ratio (55 2/3 innings) into Saturday’s battle against the Braves in Atlanta.