The last thing that teams want to see is a pitcher scratched before his start. Sometimes the reason can be minor, but other times it can be labeled as discomfort that then develops into an IL stint.
The Padres are on the East Coast, taking on the Braves. San Diego won the first game of the series on Friday and was set for Game 2 on Saturday afternoon. Right-hander Michael King was scheduled to take the bump for the Friars. King was scratched less than an hour before first pitch, and now Sean Reynolds will start against Atlanta.
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Here is more on why King was a late scratch against the Braves on Saturday.
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What happened to Michael King?
Officially, San Diego said its starter was dealing with right shoulder stiffness. Any number of reasons can cause this, and the Padres likely chose to sit him for the game more as a precaution than anything else.
RHP Michael King has been scratched from today’s game with right shoulder stiffness. RHP Sean Reynolds will be the starting pitcher.
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) May 24, 2025
It doesn’t sound like there is much concern that the pitcher will need to go on the injured list at this point, and should make his next start barring something developing from this.
The intriguing part of the injury comes from what a beat reporter heard from his sources. Kevin Acee, who covers the Padres for the San Diego Union-Tribune, said that the reason King was scratched was actually because he slept on his shoulder wrong. The pitcher was experiencing shoulder discomfort throughout the day and just couldn’t shake it ahead of his start.
The word is that Michael King slept on his shoulder awkwardly.
He was experiencing shoulder stiffness today. The Padres do not believe there is any long term issue but decided it was better if King did not start. https://t.co/0Xb7aivPf0— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) May 24, 2025
Michael King stats
Here are the career stats for the reliever-turned-starter.
| Year | Team | Games | Starts | Record | ERA | Innings | Ks |
| 2019 | Yankees | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 0.00 | 2.0 | 1 |
| 2020 | Yankees | 9 | 4 | 1-2 | 7.76 | 26.2 | 26 |
| 2021 | Yankees | 22 | 6 | 2-4 | 3.35 | 63.1 | 62 |
| 2022 | Yankees | 34 | 0 | 6-3 | 2.29 | 51.0 | 66 |
| 2023 | Yankees | 49 | 9 | 4-8 | 2.75 | 104.2 | 127 |
| 2024 | Padres | 31 | 30 | 13-9 | 2.95 | 173.2 | 201 |
| 2025 | Padres | 10 | 10 | 4-2 | 2.59 | 55.2 | 64 |
| Total | 2 Teams | 156 | 59 | 30-28 | 3.13 | 477.0 | 547 |
