Padres’ Michael King Unlikely to Return Prior to All-Star Break
San Diego Padres right-hander Michael King remains without a timeline to return.
The 30-year-old starter, who hasn’t pitched since May 18th, has already spent a month on the injured list while recovering from a pinched nerve in his right shoulder and isn’t expected to return before next month’s All-Star break.
“I think that’s pretty accurate,” manager Mike Shildt told reporters, including MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell, earlier this week in Los Angeles. “I don’t think we can begin to put a date on it. … As we all know, the further away he is from it, the longer it takes to get back.”
Shildt admitted King has been making progress, as the 6-foot-3 starter has been throwing on flat ground in recent weeks, mainly with weighted balls rather than regular baseballs. However, the team is still mapping out a plan on how to best treat his unique ailment before putting him on a throwing progression.
San Diego’s short-term instructions have been for King to continue resting his shoulder and increasing its strength during days in the training room.
The Padres have yet to guarantee if the injured hurler will return at all this season, potentially clouding his future as a pending free agent.
Before landing on the IL, King was sensational in 10 starts for San Diego, pitching to a remarkable 2.59 ERA and 3.19 FIP with 64 strikeouts across 55.2 innings. He had accounted for 1.4 fWAR in that span – leading all Padres pitchers at the time – which previously put him on track to enjoy a career year.
Given how much time he’s already missed, the Rochester, N.Y., native – if cleared to resume building up – will likely require a lengthy rehab assignment in the second half once the team can finalize a recovery plan.
In the meantime, the Padres remain thin on viable starting pitchers as they continue to move forward without three regulars – King, Yu Darvish (elbow inflammation) and Joe Musgrove (Tommy John surgery).
San Diego’s pitching depth has certainly been tested in the absence of those three, forcing the club to rely on inexperienced arms such as Stephen Kolek and Ryan Bergert. Fortunately, with Dylan Cease and Nick Pivetta leading the way at the top, the rotation still finds itself inside the top 10 of the majors in starters’ ERA (3.62) this season.
Help could soon be on the way however, with Darvish inching closer to beginning a rehab assignment. He’s scheduled to throw a simulated game on Friday, the second of his recovery progression. If everything checks out, he could start building up his stamina in the minors from there.
Matt Waldron could eventually become an option, as well, following his recovery from an oblique injury. He was optioned to Triple-A El Paso at the beginning of June after being activated from the 60-day IL and has continued progressing in his build-up, completing at least five innings in each of his last three starts.
King, acquired from the New York Yankees in the Juan Soto blockbuster prior to last season, enjoyed a breakout performance during his first season working exclusively as a starter. He made 30 starts (one relief appearance), posting a 2.95 ERA and 3.33 FIP while racking up a career-high 201 strikeouts.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: Mds08011. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.