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ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez released a list of injured stars this morning who could help contenders down the stretch. With the San Diego Padres just 2.0 games behind the NL-West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, right-hander Michael King was mentioned.
Then, just hours later, MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell reported that King will be activated for a Saturday start vs. the Boston Red Sox. The news followed a lengthy stint on the injured list that dated back to May 25 due to right shoulder inflammation.
“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 wrote.
The Padres’ ace looked shaky in a Sunday start with Triple-A El Paso, allowing six earned runs on four hits and six walks in just 3.1 innings pitched. He did have five strikeouts.
As always, General Manager A.J. Preller ensured the Padres had a busy trade deadline by dealing 14 rookie-eligible players—including the No. 3 prospect in baseball, Leo De Vries, according to MLB Pipeline.
That netted San Diego a barrage of players like starting pitchers Nestor Cortes and JP Sears. Both of them are not expected to make playoff starts though, making King’s return even more important.
The Padres will be better able to gauge King’s impact come Saturday after he takes the mound vs. the red-hot Red Sox. If he looks like himself, there’s no telling how far San Diego can go in October.
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