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As the San Diego Padres work out their concerns after the trade deadline, the one aspect around the team that fans are waiting to hear about is the injury to starting pitcher Michael King. With the Padres pitcher taking steps towards a hopeful return, the latest reporting suggests that there is some kind of timeline.
In the latest column by ESPN's Aiden Gonzalez, he wrote about injured players who could help certain contenders down the stretch of the rest of the season. He would highlight San Diego and how the return of King would help, who has missed a significant amount of time due to a “thoracic nerve issue in his right shoulder.”
However, Gonzalez would report that it is “expected” that his next start will be against the Boston Red Sox this weekend.
“For the better part of two months, questions swirled around the state of King's health and whether he would pitch at all this season,” Gonzalez wrote. “The 30-year-old right-hander was dealing with a thoracic nerve issue in his right shoulder, an exceedingly rare injury for a pitcher. He simply had to wait for the pain to subside, with no idea when it would.”
“Now, though, he is on the doorstep of returning to the major leagues,” Gonzalez continued. “King threw 61 pitches in 3 ⅓ innings in a rehab start on Sunday, allowing six runs but also striking out five batters. His next start is expected to come this weekend against the Boston Red Sox.”
Michael King's return to the Padres makes the team dangerous
While the Padres added Mason Miller at the trade deadline, there's no denying how much King's return would help the team, as so far this season, he's recorded a 2.59 ERA to go along with 64 strikeouts and a 4-2 record in 10 starts. When King does return, Gonzalez would say that along with Yu Darvish, Dylan Cease, and Nick Pivetta, it makes “one of the most well-rounded teams in the sport.”
“Padres general manager A.J. Preller put together an epic trade deadline, upgrading at catcher, adding two competent bats to the lineup and, most notably, landing another impact arm for the bullpen,” Gonzalez wrote. “His starting-pitching additions, though, were depth pieces; JP Sears and Nestor Cortes are not expected to make playoff starts.”
“What the Padres need is for King — their Game 1 starter in last year's postseason, their Opening Day starter this year and owner of a 2.59 ERA in his first 10 starts — to join Dylan Cease, Yu Darvish and Nick Pivetta in the rotation to truly make this one of the most well-rounded teams in the sport,” Gonzalez continued. “It seems that will happen.”
At any rate, San Diego is currently 64-51, which puts them second in the NL West as they start a three-game series against the Red Sox on Friday night, with the team hoping King makes his return.
