Padres' Michael King: Named Opening Day starter

Manager Mike Shildt announced Monday that King will start the Padres' March 27 season opener versus Atlanta, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

In a surprising decision, King is getting the ball instead of Dylan Cease, but the two are essentially co-aces for the Padres. King broke out in 2024 in his first full campaign in the big leagues as a starting pitcher, collecting a 2.95 ERA and 201:63 K:BB over 173.2 innings during the regular season.