(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
New York Yankees right-hander Michael King has been a talented reliever for years.
He broke out in 2021 with a 3.55 ERA, and the pinnacle of his performance came in 2022 when posted a 2.29 mark.
This year, he has put up a 2.77 ERA in a career-high 87.2 frames.
Middle relievers usually don’t pitch that much, but King’s workload has an explanation: the Yankees decided to stretch him out and use him as a starter in late August.
It’s a role that hasn’t suited him in the past, but King has evolved as a pitcher.
Now, he appears to have the tools to complete a successful transition from reliever to starter.
He owns a 3.08 ERA in 64.1 innings as a reliever this season.
As a starter?
He owns an incredible 1.93 ERA in 23.1 frames so far.
That includes an isolated outing as a starter on August 12 in which he didn’t do so well.
Since permanently moving to the rotation, he has been lights out, per Katie Sharp:
Michael King since moving to rotation (8/24):
5 starts
21 1/3 IP
3 ER
1.27 ERA
29 K
4 BB
— Katie Sharp (@ktsharp) September 14, 2023
Not only that, but he has also been increasing his workload with each passing outing.
He has thrown at least four innings in each of his last four games, and he has conceded just three earned runs in all those outings combined.
The next test to really determine if the Yankees can count on him being a member of the rotation next year will be reaching six or seven innings in outings.
Little by little, he could get closer to six before the end of the year.
With Luis Severino, Domingo German, and Frankie Montas probably not being part of the team next season, there could be a spot for King if he manages to lock it up between the end of the regular season and the spring training next year.
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