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The San Diego Padres will be without their ace on Saturday against the Atlanta Braves. Michael King was scratched from his start, and manager Mike Shildt will hand the ball to Sean Reynolds to start the game. It is a tough spot for the 27-year-old reliever to come into, especially after seeing what Ronald Acuna Jr. did to his team on Friday.
The decision to scratch King from his start comes as the former New York Yankee deals with shoulder stiffness in his throwing arm, according to the team's social media page.
His absence hurts the Padres ahead of their game against the Braves. San Diego won the opening game of the three-game set 2-1 on Friday, but Acuna Jr.'s return makes the Braves so much more dangerous offensively.
King is in the middle of a great season despite his latest setback. At 4-2, he has the second-best record on the team behind only Nick Pivetta. Their success comes at a crucial time in the season while Dylan Cease continues to struggle. King held the lead in innings pitched for Shildt before Pivetta got through six innings on Friday.
Shoulder injuries normally aren't a good sign for starting pitchers. Even if it is minor stiffness, those injuries can linger and prevent them from playing at their best. For a starter as good as King, the Padres shouldn't be worried. However, King's recovery is something to keep an eye on moving forward.
King's absence hurts for San Diego as it tries to stay close to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West. Six games separate the Dodgers from the fourth-place Arizona Diamondbacks in the division. The Padres are only three games back after a great start to 2025.
King's injury isn't as severe as it could have been, but the team could be without him for a while. Hopefully, Shildt and the Padres are just being cautious with their ace. If it is simply muscle tightness, King could make it back before his next scheduled start.
