Michael King Now Won't Pitch in Padres' Cactus League Opener vs Dodgers

The San Diego Padres will face the rival Los Angeles Dodgers in their spring training opener Thursday, their first game since last fall.

At first, newly acquired Michael King was supposed to pitch after team leader Joe Musgrove. However, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diegeo Union-Tribune, King will instead throw live batting practice.

Michael King, the Padres' presumptive third starter, was supposed to follow Musgrove on Thursday but will instead throw live batting practice. Yuki Matsui and a half dozen or so other relievers will follow Musgrove.

— Kevin Acee, via the San Diego Union-Tribune

As of right now, it's unclear why King and the Padres preferred to stretch him out in live BP rather than a game Thursday. The bullpen will attempt to piece together the final outs of the game after Musgrove.

The Padres acquired King in the blockbuster Juan Soto trade with the New York Yankees. The 28-year-old right-hander looks to be the third man in the rotation behind Musgrove and Yu Darvish.

King has five years of MLB experience, all with the Yankees. In those five seasons, he has a 3.38 ERA as both a starter and out of the bullpen. Last year, he had a 2.75 ERA while pitching a career-high 104.2 innings. 

King will make $3.15 million this year in arbitration. He has one additional year of arbitration left before hitting free agency. So far, no word has emerged regarding a potential contract extension for King.