Padres' Michael King Scratched From Saturday's Game vs Braves With Injury

San Diego Padres right-handed pitcher Michael King was scratched from Saturday's start because of right shoulder stiffness, the team announced less than an hour before first pitch.

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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

The Padres will have right-hander Sean Reynolds start Saturday's matchup against the Atlanta Braves. San Diego will have Reynolds open the game as the team will now have a bullpen game in light of King's absence.

According to Padres insider Kevin Acee, King slept on his shoulder awkwardly which caused the pitcher to experience shoulder stiffness Saturday. The Padres are not concerned about any long-term issues, rather, the team is simply taking a cautious approach with King.

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

The Padres have dealt with a slew of early season injuries to both position players and the pitching staff. Yu Darvish began the season on the injured list and is not expected to return for some time. Losing King would be detrimental for the Padres, especially since he's emerged as the team's bonafide ace.

King has a 2.59 ERA with 64 strikeouts and 1.024 WHIP across 10 starts this season. The right-hander has played a major role in the team's pitching success in 2025.

The Padres snapped a six-game losing streak with a Friday night 2-1 win over the Braves. However, the Friars will be challenged from the onset of Saturday's contest as the team will not have its ace on the mound for the second game of the series.

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