Michael King has been sidelined since May 24 with a pinched nerve in his right shoulder, and the San Diego Padres starter won’t be back until after the All-Star break at the earliest.
It’s not exactly a common baseball injury. The closest comparison? Parker Meadows, the Tigers outfielder who missed two months this season with a musculocutaneous nerve issue. That’s given King some perspective on his own recovery timeline.
King was originally scheduled to start against Atlanta that day in May but got scratched. He hasn’t thrown in a game since.
The good news is King’s feeling optimistic about where he’s at compared to Meadows at the same stage. When King spoke with the Tigers’ physical therapist about his progress, the response was encouraging.
“The Tigers PT was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s night and day’ (from Meadows’ injury),” King said. “Like, ‘He’s so much more advanced than where Parker was at this stage,’ which gives me confidence.”
Of course, Meadows isn’t a pitcher, so the comparison only goes so far. King’s got to deal with the added stress of throwing 95+ mph fastballs, which makes the recovery process a bit different.
What King’s dealing with sounds frustrating – the day-to-day uncertainty that comes with nerve issues. One day he’s sore and limited, the next he feels like he could take the mound.
“I’ve had days where I’ve been really, really frustrated with it and been really sore and felt like I didn’t get much activity that day,” King explained. “And then I’ll wake up the next day and all of a sudden (it’s) like, ‘Oh my God, I feel like I can pitch in a game right now.’ So it’s taking it step by step and knowing that it can fire when it fires, but obviously, it’s that annoying process.”
Still, he’s confident he’ll be back before the season ends.
“I’ve got a ton of confidence that what we’re doing is the correct thing to do, and I’ve felt my body progress in great ways … So I’m very confident that I will pitch by the end of the year.”
What the Padres Are Missing
Before the injury hit, King was having a breakout 2025 season. Through 10 starts, he’d posted a 2.59 ERA and kept hitters to a 1.02 WHIP. He even threw a complete game, which is pretty rare these days.
The timing couldn’t be worse for San Diego. They’re trying to make another playoff push, and losing a starter who was performing at that level creates a hole that’s tough to fill mid-season. King’s been one of their most reliable arms when healthy.
Now it’s about managing the recovery process and making sure he’s truly ready when he does return. Nerve injuries can be tricky – rush back too soon and you risk a longer absence down the road.
