King's 11th outing of the year wasn't a great one, but it was his first back since the middle of May. Shaking off some rust is hardly a surprise, and even though he struggled, the Padres still edged out the Red Sox for a win.

King had been sidelined since late May because of an injury to his long thoracic nerve. His return could be a season-changer.

The San Diego Padres activated standout right-hander Michael King from the 60-day injured list to start Saturday's game against the visiting Boston Red Sox.