Padres Manager Calls Out Michael King Amid Struggles

Michael King has struggled over his last few starts.

Jun 10, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King (34) walks off the field during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres dropped a tough game on Tuesday to the St. Louis Cardinals, resulting in another series loss.

The offense didn't show up in the 3-2 loss, but starting pitcher Michael King also wasn't very sharp. After an impressive opening stretch to the season, King has slowed down as of late.

Against St. Louis, King went 4.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out just one batter. After the game, Padres manager Craig Stammen put some pressure on his star pitcher.

“Michael has got to lead the way,” Stammen said. “He has got to be a little bit better. I know he wants to be better, and he will be better going forward.”

His outing marked the fifth straight start in which King has allowed at least three runs, showing an unwanted level of consistency on the mound. King has been promoted to being the ace of this staff since starter Nick Pivetta went down with an elbow injury in early April.

However, his recent stretch of games has been problematic for the Padres. The right-hander holds an ERA of 5.29 in three starts this month over 17 innings pitched.

“He wasn’t sharp from the very beginning,” Stammen said. “Tons of 3-2 counts. That’s not him. Drove his pitch count up. He kind of fought through it for four innings, and then the fifth inning, they got to him the third time through the lineup, which has kind of been par for the course for our starting rotation.”

Overall, King has generated an ERA of 3.60 over 15 starts for the Padres this season. But the team has seen some real problems with multiple members of the starting rotation, with King suddenly on the list.

The struggles of King, combined with the injuries to Pivetta, Joe Musgrove and others, could have the Padres' front office thinking about moves at the trade deadline. San Diego already had real questions around the starting rotation entering the season, and those fears have only intensified this season.

The Padres are expected to be active at the trade deadline this season, with president of baseball operations A.J. Preller trying to fill all the holes on the team.

But the most important thing for the Padres is the current star players playing up to their potential — and on the pitching side of things, that starts with king.

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