Padres reliever Wandy Peralta will do something on Friday night that he hasn’t done in over four years—start a game, per MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell. In just his second career start, Peralta opens a pivotal series vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers that could have major implications on the division race.
The news comes after Michael King, who was originally scheduled to start the series opener, was placed on the 15-day injured list yesterday (retroactive to Monday) due to left knee inflammation.
Wandy Peralta will open for the Padres, with Michael King on the IL. Not entirely clear whether Peralta is an opener for a bulk guy or a bullpen game. But the San Diego bullpen is entirely fresh ahead of tonight’s opener in L.A.
Second career start for Peralta, first since ’21.
— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) August 15, 2025
King had just made his first start last week since returning from a 60-day IL stint because of a separate issue, right shoulder inflammation. He tossed 2.0 innings vs. the Boston Red Sox and allowed two earned runs off four hits and two walks.
Cassavell reported that King believes he just “pushed it a little too hard in the ramp-up.” He had an MRI yesterday that revealed no structural damage, and he hopes to return later this month.
But in the meantime, Peralta will open a game for the first time since Aug. 6, 2021, when he was a member of the New York Yankees. He pitched 1.2 scoreless innings against the Seattle Mariners then, yielding two hits and recording two strikeouts.
Peralta has appeared in 54 games out of the bullpen for San Diego this season and holds a solid 3.13 ERA. The 10-year major league veteran debuted back in 2016 with the Cincinnati Reds, with whom he spent the first three-plus seasons of his career.
After sweeping the San Francisco Giants this week, the Padres are 1.0 game ahead of the Dodgers for the NL West lead. They will play each other six times in the next 10 days, and Peralta will hope to set the tone for that upcoming stretch tonight.
