Padres appear to get a bit lucky after latest Michael King injury update

It isn't hyperbolic to suggest that a big reason why the San Diego Padres have won five straight series has been due to the play of starter Michael King. Not only has he been absolutely nails over his last five starts with a 1.76 ERA and 35 strikeouts against just seven walks in 30.2 innings of work, but he has been pitching pretty deep into games, which has allowed the Padres to preserve their bullpen.

Unfortunately, King's run of dominance was threatened when he took a comebacker off his calf against the Orioles. While the injury clearly wasn't as severe as the broken leg that Braves starter Charlie Morton suffered in the 2021 World Series on a similar play, that the Padres opted to push King's start this weekend back was cause for concern.

While his calf is clearly still bothering him a bit, it appears as though King's absence will be short. According to both King and Padres manager Mike Shildt over the weekend, his calf injury isn't considered serious and the team expects him to make a start during San Diego's upcoming series against the Pirates.

Padres News: Michael King's calf is still sore, but it sounds like he will avoid the IL

King being out for a while would be pretty much the last thing the Padres need at the moment. The team is on a roll thanks in large part to the rotation's dominance of which King has been a big part. With Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish still out, San Diego can't really afford to lose another starter at the moment. Getting Fernando Tatis Jr. back in the relatively near future will certainly help.

Luckily, it appears that King and the Padres have avoided that worst-case scenario. While there is a chance that King's soreness won't subside and he will need to go on the shelf, all of the available information is that he just needed a couple days of extra rest to heal up.

One thing that needs to be monitored is how King looks upon his return. He may feel good enough to start and the medical staff is likely to sign off on a quick return, but there is no guarantee the injury won't impact him in the short term. Pitchers use their lower body more than one would think for both stability and power. If King struggles when he does take the mound next, we'll at least know why that might be the case.

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