Before the San Diego Padres' 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night, the team revealed some promising news on starting pitcher Michael King and his recent placement on the 15-day injured list.
King was able to start in just one game after returning from a thoracic nerve injury that kept him out for nearly three months. San Diego announced that he was placed on the 15-day injured list on Thursday with left knee inflammation.
MLB.com's Theo DeRosa and AJ Cassavell announced some more in-depth news on the Padres' decision to place the 30-year-old on the injured list.
"An MRI on Thursday revealed no structural damage in the knee and King said he could've pitched through it, albeit with some pain. Instead, he's targeting a return in Seattle after his minimum 15-day IL stint. 'I probably just pushed it a little too hard in the ramp-up,' King said," according to DeRosa and Cassavell.
In the one start King made between injured list stints, he threw a total of 57 pitches in 2.0 innings, giving up two hits, two walks, and two earned runs while striking out one batter.
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Although King was lined up to start against the Dodgers on Friday, the Padres opted to hold him out rather than risk his injured knee. The move to the injured list was made as a precaution, with San Diego aiming to keep him healthy for the final two and a half months of the season – and potentially the postseason.
Through an injury-riddled 2025 season, King has been productive while healthy. In 11 total starts this year, he has a 4-2 record, 2.81 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 57 strikeouts in 57.2 innings.