Michael King 2026 Fantasy Baseball Outlook: Bounce Back Potential If Health Improves
After emerging in 2024 as one of the best starting pitchers in baseball, Michael King couldn't repeat his success in 2025. He was still good last year, but injuries meant King couldn't reward the fantasy managers who banked on a repeat. Shoulder and knee issues limited King to 15 starts last season. He still put up a solid 3.44 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 73 1/3 innings. But King's 24.7% K% dropped from 27.7% K% in 2024. It still ranked in the 66th percentile, though, so it wasn't a significant issue. And with a 4.20 xFIP and 3.99 SIERA, his ERA was a little lucky. It's difficult to know how much the regression was due to injuries, but the Padres were confident enough to re-sign King for this year and potentially have him in their rotation through 2028. That's good news for King, with Petco Park being one of the more pitcher-friendly ballparks. It's unlikely we see a repeat of King's breakout 2024 season this year. His 2025 numbers seem much more likely. If King can stay healthy and put up those numbers across a full season, he could reestablish himself as a top 25 starting pitcher.
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