The Padres announced that right-hander Michael King has been placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to May 22) due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Righty David Morgan was called up from Triple-A El Paso to take King’s spot on the active roster, and earlier today, the Padres also called up left-hander Omar Cruz while right-hander Alek Jacob was optioned to Triple-A.
King was scheduled to start Saturday’s game against the Braves, but he was scratched from the lineup after arriving at the ballpark with a sore shoulder. The righty “just felt like he slept on it wrong,” manager Mike Shildt told the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee and other media members yesterday, and the discomfort persisted after some pregame testing and weighted-ball tossing.
After another day of evaluation, the decision was clearly made to put King onto the 15-day IL, perhaps just as precaution. Shildt said yesterday that “we do believe it’s not anything overly serious” and that King perhaps may have been able to pitch Saturday, but the club saw no reason to risk a more serious injury.
The centerpiece of the trade package the Yankees sent to the Padres in the Juan Soto trade, King more than lived up to the hype in his first season in San Diego. King had already gone from dominant reliever to dominant starter after he was moved into New York’s rotation near the end of the 2023 season, and he continued to elevate his game with a 2.95 ERA over 173 2/3 innings with the Padres last year. That superlative effort earned King a seventh-place finish in NL Cy Young Award voting, and he has kept up the terrific work this year.
Over 10 starts and 55 2/3 innings in 2025, King has a 2.59 ERA, 28.4% strikeout rate, and 7.6% walk rate. Both of the latter figures are improvements over his already strong numbers in 2024, though his whiff rate (28.4%) has declined and King is allowing far more hard contact than he did last year. These issues notwithstanding, King has continued to look the part of a frontline pitcher, and he has paired with Nick Pivetta to form a big one-two punch at the top of San Diego’s rotation.
Losing King even for 15 days, then, would be a setback for a Padres team that is still missing Yu Darvish to injury. Darvish threw four innings in a Triple-A rehab start on May 14 but hasn’t pitched since, seemingly adding some fresh doubt over when exactly Darvish will be making his 2025 debut. Shildt did say two weeks ago that Darvish’s rehab work would be going somewhat by feel rather than a strict throwing progression, as the club was relying on Darvish’s experience and knowledge of his arm to gauge his readiness.
With King and Darvish out, the Padres’ rotation now consists of Pivetta, Dylan Cease, Randy Vasquez, and Stephen Kolek. Kyle Hart is the only other pitcher who has made any starts for the Padres this year, as he had a 6.00 ERA in five starts and 21 innings for Friars before being optioned to Triple-A in April. Hart is the likeliest candidate to take King’s spot in the rotation, as Matt Waldron is also on a rehab assignment in his own recovery from an oblique strain.
Yesterday’s impromptu bullpen game saw the Padres use Jacob and three other pitchers, so Jacob was optioned in part to bring some fresh arms into the bullpen. Cruz is a swingman who has started four of his eight Triple-A appearances this season, and he made his MLB debut earlier in 2025 in the form of two relief outings and 3 2/3 total innings for the Padres. He might also factor into the rotation plans in some limited capacity with King out, as the Padres will need all hands on deck for a stretch of 26 games in 27 days that starts off on Friday.
With the Friars in need of pitching help, Morgan will get another opportunity to make his MLB debut. The right-hander’s contract was selected to the big league roster back in late April, but Morgan was optioned to Triple-A a week later without ever getting into a game. Morgan had never pitched even at the Triple-A level before that unexpected call-up, and after showing up in El Paso earlier this month, he has been hit hard to the tune of a 12.71 ERA over seven appearances and 5 2/3 innings.
Extreme problems with the home run ball have plagued Morgan this year, as he has allowed five homers over 14 1/3 total minor league frames at the Double-A and Triple-A levels. For comparison, the righty had given up only seven big flies in his 108 1/3 previous minor league innings. Morgan has displayed excellent control throughout his minor league career, and his good strikeout numbers have spiked to an eye-popping 45.45% over his 14 1/3 innings in 2025.
That’s a shame
Slept wrong huh
Padres spiraling
Thankfully the Dodgers are playing .500 ball in May otherwise it could have gotten ugly quick.
Must be Mark Prior’s fault.
Who is this untimely sarcasm directed at? Injuries to players is hardly a joking matter.
Ashame think he is a FA
Key piece when the Yankees traded for Soto
The Padres made out all right in that Soto trade. They added Soto for a pennant race. They gave up four nice players but got back King and Thorpe, who landed them Cease.
If they would have flipped King and Cease for prospects, they would have won that Soto trade by a landslide. If they hold King and Cease and make a run at the WS, that also could be considered a big win.
If they flame out and miss the playoffs this year and fail to get anything from Cease or King, it will be a big time missed opportunity that could set them back a couple years.
Padres have to trade them both ASAP in my opinion, be the first to move your starters, get the best return. Boston, Philly, Yankees, all looking for SP.
…the Padres have to trade both Cease and King ASAP…
Over their past 162 games the Padres have the best winning % in baseball.
statmuse.com/mlb/ask/mlb-best-record-since-may-21s…
You run with them in 2025 and try to win it all. You don’t treat the situation like you are a fringe contender and play it safe.
It’s a tough call with the payroll situation, with Machado and Tatis both going way up in AAV. You really need to pay Arreaz too.
If you could get Mick Abel for King, and get a pitcher like Cam Schlittler from the Yankees for Cease, they could be two really nice controllable starters.
Id extend Arreaz and look for a pair of controllable starting pitchers. But nothing wrong in going for it this season. It will cost you big time though.
What does Machado’s salary getting a big bump in 2027 or Tatis in 2029 have anything to do with trading two impending free agents mid-season this year?
Typically when a team can say they the highest winning in baseball over the past year they aren’t trading their top starters for unproven non-elite pitching prospects during the season when they’re trying to win. They’re 3 games out of 1st and would make the playoffs today securing a wild card spot.
Then you factor in they have attendance of 42.4k per game, 2nd best in baseball.
Not a tough decision at all especially when you will be getting compensation picks if they walk. Or give up one of your top arms for the Yankees #10 prospect who is in AA while essentially throwing in the towel this year?!
The only way they deal those arms is if they bomb over the next 2 months.
You are losing two aces that you have rostered at relative bargains, you can’t replace their production without spending quite a bit, and you dont really have too many great SP prospects in your system that will be ready for ’26 or ’27.
I like Schlittler, 6’6 225 righty, sits 96, gets it up to 98 mph, hasnt yet incorporated a good changeup and still is getting good results. He immediately becomes your best pitching prospect. Yankees might make that trade, put Gil in the bullpen. Id make that trade if I were the Padres. You get six years of Schlittler and can still make the playoffs. The Yanks would sweeten that pot too, could likely land a couple position prospects.
Padres are in a payroll funk right now, to top heavy, never should have extended Manny or Darvis, never should have signed Bogaerts those three contracts will never be traded without first paying down about at least half to two thirds. As far as Tatis, his contract might be the easiest to trade if so wanted, he is still young/in his prime still puts up good numbers. But The Padres are looking for an outfielder, well they traded a young star to be to Washington, for a player they knew was not going to resign with them and wanted to play on the East Coast. Also gave up a decent starter, and an all-star SS in that deal, looks like the Padres got fleeced on that trade. Yes, they traded Soto to the Yankees, got King back and yes used it to get Cease. But still was that enough, here the Yankees went to the WS. But did the Padres makes the right deals in the end, question is still only partly answered in the NY end of it, but as for the Washington end of it, sorry but I say no, Gave up way too much to get Soto, you get a star Player like Soto and have to give up that much of your top farm assets Soto has to play longer than two years for the team before he leaves.
Yep Yanks knew King was a front line player, but the previous year they went 82-80. They needed a bug move and made it to the World Series. But they should have anticipated the Mets owner who is worth 20 billion dollars would not be outbid. But I believe the Yankees are better off , 765 .million for 15 years is insane. His contract will go until he is 41. Plus King is a FA after this season. Good luck, you have a good team, can make a comeback and anything is possible with the wildcard!
I’d extend Luis at a way under-market rate, but otherwise let him walk. My Padres can fill 2/3 of the LF/1B/DH role with Sheets and campusano in 2026 and beyond.
The Padres obviously went for it with the Soto trade back in ’22. They had him for two playoff runs, over 900 AB with him and what looked like a potential franchise best season in 2023 that ended up being weird as hell. A top 6 pitching AND hitting by team fWAR yet not only failed to make the playoffs but had to win 16 of 18 final games to finish with a winning record.
They had to regroup pre 2024 and couldn’t afford Soto’s 30m price tag with holes in the rotation from Snell, Lugo, Martinez and Wacha walking as FA’s.
So they traded him and in the end landed two TOR starters that finished in the CY race and ended ’24 with their 2nd winningest team in their 55 year franchise history.
People can spare me with how making the original Soto trade doomed them in anyway.
Arraez has a track record of being good. Sheets has 2 months of being good. Campusano 2 months of being good.
Bring back Arraez and let him do what he does best, set the table.
Put the responsibility on Melvin for 2023. By his own admission he used a “hands off managing style” and didn’t even require the players to practice. Pretty much all the in game decisions were made by someone other than Melvin. His nickname from the players was “Sleepy Bob”. Why do you think the Padres let him walk without even asking for compensation?
Yep. Poor old Bob. Just couldn’t hit with runners in scoring position that year.
15 million a season for three years
Probably something more like what Cronenworth signed for. A 7 year, $80 million deal for a 28 year old Arraez is reasonable.
“Arraez has a track record of being good.”
Arraez has a track record of not striking out and hitting singles. Everything else in baseball he sucks at.
Yanks won’t be in on a top SP unless Fried or Rodon get hurt. RP and 3b for them.
Will Warren has filled in nicely, had another nice start today. With Luil Gil returning, might not need an Ace, but they will probably be after a swingman.
I had them in a trade with the White Sox for a SP like Sean Burke and 3B Miguel Vargas, and LHRP like Cam Booser. A trade like that makes sense for the Yankees.
Cam Schlittler for Michael King or Dylan Cease, could the Yankees pass on that?
I would think that SD could do better than Cam headlining a deal.
Schlittler looks like he is ready for a turn in an MLB rotation towards the end of the season, six years of team control.
6’6” 225 righty, has only allowed 1HR in 43IP, 10K/9 and he hasnt mastered his changeup. He gets that changeup going, adds a sinker, he is going to be good.
Yankees really don’t want to spend anymore money as they pay roughly double the salary since they are at approx 304 million. That’s why they done have a proven 3rd baseman.
betting on a changeup is a fool’s errand
Soto helped bring the Yankees to the WS. Grisham is having a great 2025 with a 156 OPS+. . Yankees took their shot with Soto and came up a little short, but this was no one-sided trade in favor of the Padres.
This trade was a win for both teams. Higgy was good for the Padres last year and Vasquez looks serviceable at least.
Yeah I think the Yankees and Padres both got exactly what they hoped for out of that trade. Soto was a huge part of the Yanks making the WS and the Padres got two starters that received CY votes in 2024 and are big parts of their 2025 team.
I don’t believe King is able to be traded right now with the news of shoulder inflammation. Hopefully he is OK but right now it’s a big mystery how long it will take for him to be 100 percent healthy.
Nope. Not happening. Cease and King will be in the Padres rotation through the end of the season. There is no way to make the playoffs without them.
We know that if you say it, its wrong. Maybe you should try commenting on a simpler sport. You don’t understand baseball.
You better hope King isn’t done for the year.
They need to keep them both and make a run. Then re-sign them.
Must be the intentionally deadened baseballs MLB is forcing the Padres to use.
lol
I’m so glad you’ve brought this back!
Probably just a minor thing. Speaking of, where is Yu Darvish ?
I was just going to say, time to activate Yu
Weird. One minute he is throwing catch the day after the issue was first reported and then crickets until now. Not that I follow closely, but the Padres come across as stealthy with injury reporting.
Preller has some stealth injury history. Just ask the Marlins.
@foppert. The news on Darvish has been available to the public so I’m not sure why you’re in the dark. After his last bullpen session as a last step in his ramp up just prior to making his first start this year he felt some minor discomfort in his elbow. Erring on the side of caution the team med staff has been doing additional tests the last few days and the team will be updating his status today. I’m not sure how this falls into the category of stealthy reporting by the team or any other conspiracy theory one might cook up to appear bright, erode trust, or fuel division. We have enough of that in our daily lives.
Too many fastballs. and sinkers. Need to focus on throwing Sliders/Sweepers to prevent arm injuries. Also, his extension has been declining over the years. Go see the team trainer and get a proper rubdown of that arm.
Problem solved…
Sliders are the worst pitch for one’s elbow.
King is shouldering the blame for the Padres slide.
That’s no way for Michael King to celebrate his 30th birthday which is today. Get well soon.
What’s the status of JOE KING ??
My love for King stretches coast to coast LA to Chicago.
The King of New York isn’t my True Love.
That’s how it all begins.
Went out partying in Atlanta the night before his birthday and hurt his shoulder?
“we do believe it’s not anything overly serious”
Famous last words for every pitcher
“Losing King even for 15 days, then, would be a setback for a Padres team that is still missing Yu Darvish to injury” is a poorly written sentence. “Then” adds nothing of substance and only disrupts the syntax.