The Padres provided an update on the status of right-hander Michael King earlier today, as relayed by Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The good news is that King’s shoulder issue, which sent him to the injured list just last weekend, is not structural in nature. Rather, Sanders writes that the right-hander is dealing with a pinched nerve. Less fortunate, however, is that the Padres remain in the dark about what King’s timetable for a return to action will ultimately look like.
“Now that we’ve been able to locate what the issue is … just trying to get a handle on how to release that nerve a little bit that’s preventing that (scapula) from being able to fire appropriately,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said, as relayed by Sanders. “We’ve got some really smart people, including Michael himself, involved with that process that will get that going as soon as possible, and how soon that is is to the discretion of that nerve.”
The cause of the pinched nerve isn’t known, though King was initially scratched from his start last week due to discomfort in his shoulder after sleeping on it uncomfortably the night prior. Sanders adds that King sought a second opinion on the issue earlier this week and that, because he’s already started to improve, the Padres are not yet ruling out him resuming playing catch by the end of next week. That would potentially allow him to return to the rotation shortly after his minimum stint on the injured list expires without a rehab start, although ultimately King won’t be able to return until the nerve issue has completely resolved itself. Sanders suggests that right-hander Matt Waldron, who pitched 146 2/3 innings for San Diego last year but has been sidelined all season so far due to an oblique strain, could be ready to return from the injured list in the near future and take up King’s rotation spot while he’s on the shelf.
More from around the NL West…
- The Dodgers watched as Shohei Ohtani continued his slow-going return to pitching earlier today, as Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times was among those to report that the superstar threw two innings of live BP against the Dodgers’ minor league hitters this afternoon. Harris notes that’s a slight uptick from last week’s 22 pitches, and that Ohtani recorded one strikeout and one walk along during the session. After the session, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including USA Today’s Bob Nightengale) that the outing was a “positive” one for Ohtani, though his command wasn’t quite as sharp as his last time out. That Ohtani is continuing to make progress in his rehab is encouraging, although he remains expected to not pitch until some point in the second half of the season. Fortunately, rehabbing hasn’t seemed to slow him down one bit at the plate, as he entered play today slashing .294/.394/.670 with a 187 wRC+, 22 homers and 11 steals.
- The Giants could be looking to make a change at first base in the near future, even with top prospect Bryce Eldridge not yet at Triple-A. As Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reported on yesterday, the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento tabbed former top prospect Marco Luciano to serve as their first baseman in a game earlier this week. It’s a new position for the 23-year-old, who has already appeared at second base, shortstop, and in left field over the years, but Rubin notes that the River Cats are expected to continue using Luciano at first going forward as concern mounts about the club’s production at the position in the majors. LaMonte Wade Jr. is the club’s starter at the position, but after entering the year with a 115 wRC+ in a Giants uniform he’s slashed just .171/.278/.279 with a wRC+ of 60 across 48 games. Luciano has yet to hit in the majors himself, with a career 68 wRC+ in the majors, but even his meager production in 126 career plate appearances would be an improvement over Wade’s numbers this season. Plus, Luciano is a former consensus top-20 prospect in the sport who may be able to tap into that potential if offered regular reps at the big league level. While Luciano begins to learn the new position, the Giants will hope that Jerar Encarnación’s eventual return from the injured list is enough to help improve the club’s first base production going forward.
With the current injury rate of Dodgers pitchers being 100%, why risk Ohtani to pitching? This isnt Anaheim, where they had nothing, and Ohtani could hijack the team to do whatever… the Dodgers have titles to win, and risking him to pitching seems like an incredibly risky move.
Thanks for your concern. Ohtani and Yamamoto will lead the Dodgers staff in October. As great a hitter as Shohei is, he is even more valuable on the mound.
He’s already proven he can hit while recovering from TJS
They are only dishing out $2m this season, gotta be lowest paid at the moment let him pitch maybe he can show why the 68m in 2032 was worth it. /sarc
@Datashark They are disshing out another $44M this year to fund the deferrals that $ will accrue to the $68M by time of collection.
note I was being sarcastic.
I wasn’t aware of this statistic, but I am aware that Ohtani was never going to sign a contract with any team that wasn’t going to let him pitch.
I get the injury rate for pitching is very high regardless across the league, but doesnt there have to be a problem with whatever the Dodgers organization is teaching, whether it be higher velocity, higher spin rate, etc? Because their pitchers are indeed getting injured more frequently and the sample size is getting larger and larger. Hate to see Ohtani get thrown into that mess
Yes, because the Dodgers keep doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. Yet their pitchers keep getting hurt. Ohtani should give up the two-way player narcissism and learn to play right field and just be a damn good hitter for the rest of his career. Two Tommy John’s already, another one will not only wipe out his pitching career but could seriously jeopardize his power stroke as well. Not worth it.
I think it’s mostly a matter of selection. They’re a club that believes it’s better to roster injury prone, elite pitchers than durable mediocre pitchers. As for their pitching prospects, young pitchers are especially prone to injury. I’m not sure the Dodgers injury rate is higher than league average in that cohort.
It’s the type of arms that the Dodgers target. They love the max extension, max velo, and max spin rate guys. They go after the high risk arms. The type of arms that like to break. That’s why they have like 15 of them, and they just have to hope that they have at least 3 healthy starters in October.
It’s easy to assume that the Dodgers are doing “something wrong” in training their pitchers, or signing “injury-prone” free agents, but I don’t know that the data actually proves this theory. Everything the Dodgers do now is put under the microscope, but this doesn’t mean they are having statistically worse results with pitching injuries than any other team.
The reality, it seems to me, is the probability of any given starting pitcher missing significant playing time to an injury over a five-year period is pretty close to 100%. When that happens is anybody’s guess. A lot of fans will say it’s predictable, but only after the fact. Everybody knows the future after it happens.
The number of Dodgers pitcher trips to the IL this season is more than double MLB average. They have used an MLB record number of pitchers in the first half of a season and June just started.
As I am well aware. I am also aware that we are only a third of the way into the season.
What is this nonsense, besides one of the WOAT mlbtr posts? Bucs should rest Skenes. He might break.
You people try SO hard to discredit the dodgers, but they just keep winning.
Well Dodger revenue streams allow them to add obscene layers of depth to withstand the countless pitching injuries and player injuries. That’s why they keep on winning; the B and C options on their depth charts are in many cases better than most teams A options. (though the B & C options themselves have succumbed to and healed from myriad arm injuries.)
Ugh, Padres can’t catch a break with King’s pinched nerve. No timetable? That’s sketchy.
on top of that, they suck at hitting
Oh, that’s right.. Ohtani can pitch too. I was so mesmerized by his offensive stats and nearly forgot.
Luciano is a bust batting .216 they have moved him around the field yet still cannot swing bat enough to compensate poor glove.
He has 126 PA in the big leagues. Way too soon to call him a bust.
Ya right, 23 and folks calling him a bust ?
Hate on, O ‘ignorant ones.
He has been in minors since 2019 and Giants have tried fitting him into any type of role — he just has not become what people thought he might become. His rise through minors has shown to be progressively worse
He’s 23 years old, and while he very well might not work out, it’s too soon to declare he’s a bust.
Heliot Ramos through age 23:
MLB, .158/.220/.250, OPS+ 32
MiLs, .267/.341/.449, .789 OPS
Marco Luciano through age 23:
MLB, .217/.286/.304, OPS+ 68
MiLs, .252/.359/.449, .808 OPS
That’s no guarantee that Luciano will break out like Ramos, but it should be crystal clear that a declaration that Luciano is a bust is premature.
The watchers say he is showing some positive signs. Average is no good but hitting with power.
When will Darvish be back?
So…. King could be forced to exercise his half of that $15M option…
A lot of pinched nerves these days. Verlander, McLanahan and now King. Is it me or does the pinched nerve seem like a cover for “we’re just resting our guy without taking up a roster spot”
Pinched nerve is the new shoulder impingement….
Verlander has a pectoral strain, not a pinched nerve.
I thought I had read it was a pectoral nerve issue, but hanks for the clarification.
The ignorance in this thread is legendary. Keep posting!
Please don’t add to it.
But how has Luciano done *in the majors*?
Little time, that’s it.
Eldridge will be here by Sept.
Naw. Unless he dominates AA, he won’t move to AAA.
I doubt it. His defence needs time.
Positional questions aside, Luciano’s calling card was always his offensive potential. Except that so far, his batting successes as a minor leaguer have only happened at the lowest levels. This year is his 3rd go-round at AAA (in the hitter-friendly PCL, no less) but he’s mired in the same mediocrity he was mired in there throughout last year.
Yeah, he’s 23, and theoretically, he could, at some point, have a sustained breakout. That’d be great, especially since the Giants are so desperate for any kind of offensive help, and I was really hopeful that his bat was finally going to shine in the PCL this year.
As far as I’m concerned now though, he’s firmly establishing himself as just another wing-and-a-prayer org prospect. Now, I’ll be surprised if he ever becomes anything more than that.