Padres' Michael King Sets Lofty Goal for 2026 Season

The right-hander is ready to dominate on the mound after missing a majority of last year.

Sep 16, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King (34) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

San Diego Padres right-handed pitcher Michael King has already set a lofty goal for the 2026 season.

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King was riddled with injuries last season and missed more than half of the 2025 campaign while he was dealing with a nerve shoulder impingement in his throwing shoulder and left knee inflammation.

The injuries limited King to just 15 starts in 2025, as he finished the year with a 3.44 ERA across 73.1 innings.

Now, the right-hander is looking to bounce back in a big way: King wants to throw 200 innings this year.

“I’m not coming off of Tommy John, where I had no innings,” King said to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “But you look at guys that miss a full year (or) year-and-a-half because of Tommy John and they come back and still can go 180-plus. … I don’t think it’s a challenge. It’s more so of just go out there every fifth day.”

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According to Acee, King shared the goal with manager Craig Stammen and had a sense of urgency about tossing 200 frames in 2026.

The Padres certainly believe in King, which is why the team re-signed him to a three-year, $75 million deal this offseason. And so, it appears the right-hander also knows how much the Friars have invested in him and is ready to be the anchor of their rotation in 2026.

The Padres will likely be getting the best version of King as he revealed he had a normal offseason and is feeling good in spring camp.

“It was a fully healthy offseason, a normal offseason coming in,” King said. “… As soon as I got healthy, come like November 2, when I first started throwing, it was all systems go. Had zero setbacks. So I came into this camp really confident that I’m back to my normal self.”

King will be slated alongside Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove as the three staples of the rotation in 2026. The fourth spot will likely be taken by right-hander Randy Vásquez, with the No. 5 starter still being decided in spring training.

All in all, it appears King is ready to dominate on the mound in 2026.

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