Michael King was expected to be on the mound yesterday for the Padres vs. Braves matchup. Instead, the 30-year-old was scratched due to right shoulder inflammation shortly before the start.
This forced San Diego into an impromptu bullpen game in which Sean Reynolds made his first career start. Reynolds went 2.2 innings and was one of four pitchers for San Diego on Saturday. The Braves won 7-1.
The Padres placed King on the 15-day injured list on Sunday.
This puts a brief pause in what has been an excellent start to the season for King. The 30-year-old has been one of the best right-handers in baseball, posting a 4-2 record with a 2.59 ERA. King has struck out 64 batters and allowed just 40 hits across 55.2 innings pitched. This comes after a very successful first season with the Padres last year in which King finished with a 2.95 ERA and tallied 201 strikeouts across 173.2 innings pitched.
This news also comes one day after OF Jason Heyward was placed on the 10-day IL due to an oblique strain.
Shoulder injuries are never a good sign, but there does not seem to be a significant concern with King’s outlook. Padres manager Mike Shildt even mentioned after the game that the issue had to do with King sleeping wrong.
Nonetheless, San Diego will need to adjust its rotation accordingly while he remains out.
The Padres currently hold -105 odds of making the playoffs on DraftKings Sportsbook following their 28-22 start to the season. They trail the Dodgers by three games in the NL West and also hold +1700 odds of winning the National League overall.
Stay tuned with DK Network for more live updates.
