Padres Activate Michael King From Injured List in Massive Roster Move

May 18, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King (34) delivers during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres reinstated starting pitcher Michael King from the 60-day injured list ahead of his start against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.

In a corresponding move, they optioned right-hander Sean Reynolds to Triple-A El Paso.

We have reinstated RHP Michael King from the 60-day IL and optioned RHP Sean Reynolds to Triple-A El Paso.

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 9, 2025

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The Friars scratched King from his May 24th start against the Atlanta Braves, and placed him on the injured list the following day. He suffered a pinched thoracic nerve and has not featured for the Padres since, moving to the 60-day IL at the beginning of the July.

King has been adamant that he would pitch again this season, despite his long term injury.

"So it’s taking it step by step and knowing that it can fire when it fires, but obviously it’s that annoying process," King said in June. "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.”

King is a huge addition to the Padres' rotation, as he was arguably their best pitcher before his injury. He had a 2.59 ERA through 10 starts, striking out 64 in 55.2 innings, and pitched the first complete-game shutout of his career.

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He had just as good of a season in 2024 after coming from the New York Yankees in the Juan Soto trade, posting a 2.95 ERA through 31 games. He received All-MLB Second Team honors and placed seventh in Cy Young voting for his efforts last season.

The decision to send Reynolds down comes just a day after he allowed five runs against the Boston Red Sox in 1.2 innings on Friday, the worst outing of his MLB career so far. He has a 5.55 ERA this season through 18 appearances, and the Padres will hope he can get back on track in the minors.

Reynolds was on a solid run in MLB before Friday, allowing just two runs through nine appearances in June.

The Padres will hope King can give them the boost they need to catch the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West, as they trail the 2024 World Series champs by three games after Friday's loss. They have brought themselves all the way back into contention for the division after trailing the Dodgers by eight games at the start of July, and will be looking to knock them off the top spot during their two series in August.

The Friars will look to even up the series against the Red Sox on Saturday at 5:40 p.m. PT after a blowout loss yesterday.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.