Padres Insider Provides Unfortunate Update on Michael King Return Timeline

Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports San Diego Padres starter Michael King still has no timeline to return from the nerve issue which has kept him from pitching since May 24.

The Padres scratched King from his start against the Atlanta Braves May 24, then placed him on the 15-day injured list the following day with right shoulder inflammation. The specific issue is a nerve impingement in his throwing shoulder.

According to multiple reports, there is no structural damage to King's shoulder, so surgery is not necessary. However they will need to wait for the nerve to start "firing" before he begins baseball activities again," per Acee.

King is one of three Padres starters on the injured list, and may be the closest to returning despite his lack of timeline. Also on the IL are Joe Musgrove, who will miss 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and Yu Darvish, who has been sidelined since spring training with an elbow injury and still has no timeline to return.

Prior to his injury, King was the Padres' best starter, posting the lowest ERA among those in the rotation with a mark of 2.59 (3.19 FIP) and striking out batters at a rate of 10.3 per nine innings, second to Dylan Cease among Padres starters. King had a 1.50 ERA in April and threw his first complete game shutout April 13. He had 43 strikeouts across 36 innings in the month.

King became a full-time starter with the Padres after coming from the New York Yankees as a key piece in the Juan Soto trade, and has been one of thei best starters since his arrival.

In 2024, his first full season as a starter, he had a 2.95 ERA through 173.2 innings and passed the 200 strikeouts mark for the first time. He placed seventh in Cy Young voting and received Second Team All-MLB honors after the season.

The Padres will want King to return as soon as he is able, as they continue to slip down the NL West standings. They are currently six games back of the division leading Los Angeles Dodgers, and face a sweep in the final games of a four-game set against the division leaders on Thursday at 7:10 p.m. PT.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.