bill koch, providence journal
·4 min read
BOSTON — Michael King is back at Fenway Park this weekend in a role he always wanted.
The former standout at Bishop Hendricken and Boston College will serve as the starting pitcher for the San Diego Padres on Saturday. He’s made all but one of 17 appearances this season as a member of the rotation, and his next will come against the Boston Red Sox.
It’s a change that began late in 2023, and what followed were the most turbulent few months of his baseball career. King was part of a December trade that sent a ripple across the game, going from the New York Yankees with a package of players for outfielders Juan Soto and Trent Grisham.
“It definitely shocked me even though the media was all over it,” King said on Friday afternoon. “I was seeing my name in all the rumors. But when it actually came true, it was just one of those weird realities.”
More: Ex-Hendricken star Michael King getting the ball as a starter with the New York Yankees
Nervous anticipation filled the following weeks into spring training. King swapped his offseason home in Florida for a different coast, settling in Coronado. His parents, family and friends were suddenly 3,000 miles away and couldn’t just make a short drive to Yankee Stadium when it suited them.
“I was so used to the norm,” King said. “I was so used to what I was doing in New York and my routine and all the people and players.
“It was an anxious, scared feeling coming into a new locker room. I didn’t know a single person here. I didn’t know the coaches.”
King bumped through April with a 5.00 earned-run average before finding his groove over his next nine starts. He allowed just 42 hits in 51⅔ innings and pitched to a 2.44 ERA, and the Padres put together a 6-3 record in those games. King entered the weekend sixth in strikeouts and 20th in FanGraphs wins above replacement among National League pitchers.
“It’s definitely had its ups and downs,” King said. “But it’s been seamless in terms of if I need help. I can get it.”
Entering Saturday, King was already within 11 innings of his total from last season, but his raw stuff seems to be carrying well. His strikeouts per nine have only dropped a tick — 10.92 to 10.47. King is throwing his changeup 10.1% more often while cutting back on his sinker and slider usage.
“I think a lot of that comes with the pitch package I’ve put together,” King said. “There’s also a big portion that comes because I was a reliever. I know how to get a swing and miss.”
King’sfinal eight games last year were something of an audition in New York’s injury-riddled and ineffective rotation. He struck out 13 and allowed just one run in a home loss to Toronto, a suggestion that he could graduatefrom a high-leverage relief role into something more. San Diego was willing to take the risk on a player with two arbitration years left, adding King alongside catcher Kyle Higashioka and fellow right-handers Jhony Brito, Drew Thorpe and Randy Vasquez.
“They wanted me as a starter,” King said. “They have so many coaches and players who have experience in that category.
“(Pitching coach Ruben Nielba) talked about transitioning from the bullpen and a relief role — he'd done that a few times. I’m really surrounded by a lot of great people.”
Vasquez and Higashioka formed San Diego’s battery on Friday night for the opener of this three-game series. The Padres also featured two other former Yankees on their 26-man roster — infielder Tyler Wade and left-handed reliever Wandy Peralta. That small group offered King some familiar faces when he reported in February to San Diego’s spring training home in Arizona.
“We had a bunch of players who came over in the trade with me,” King said. “There were also a ton of ex-Yankees that were in the locker room, so I felt very comfortable. Then I started to get to know the coaching staff and the starting rotation, and I knew I was going to fit in well.
“It was a much more seamless transition than what my mind went to when I got traded. It’s an easy locker room to get along with.”
What comes next? King could prove a valuable trade chip at next month's deadline or in the offseason with one year of team control left. He could also settle into something more long-term with the Padres before free agency beckons in 2026.
“You can’t beat the weather,” King said. “You can’t beat the scenery. The stadium is awesome. The fans pack it out.
“You definitely could be in a lot worse situations.”
bkoch@providencejournal.com
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: From Yankees to Padres, Hendricken's Michael King is finding his way
