Yankees' Michael King: Possible waiver wire pickups
Rotowire
This Michael King pickup has been a long time coming. Considered by many to be the Yankees' top reliever the past two years, the right-hander began his transition to the starting rotation in late August, and it was going well enough. His performance was holding steady. He wasn't losing velocity the way so many relievers do when stretched over multiple innings. The only issue was that his outings were short, his transition progressing too gradually for him to be of much use in Fantasy. When the restrains finally came off in his last start Wednesday against the Blue Jays, the results were nothing short of astounding: seven innings, one run, no walks, 13 strikeouts. And wouldn't you know he lines up for two starts right away? With a 1.40 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 13.7 K/9 in his past five starts and two pitches (sweeper and changeup) capable of generating whiffs at better than a 40 percent rate, King is peaking at just the right time.
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Yankees' Michael King: Racks up career-best 13 punchouts
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King (4-7) took the loss against Toronto on Wednesday, allowing one run on five hits and no walks while striking out 13 batters over seven innings.
Though he was tagged with the loss due to a stagnant New York offense, King pitched arguably his best game as a major leaguer, tallying a career-best strikeout total and racking up 16 whiffs over seven frames. The only run he allowed came when Bo Bichette reached on a two-out infield single to knock in Kevin Kiermaier in the third inning. King has been a strikeout machine over his past three outings, posting a 30:2 K:BB along with a 1.62 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over 16.2 innings. It would be an understatement to say that his late-season transition to the rotation has gone well, and King could be setting himself up for a full-time role as a starter in 2024 with his recent outstanding run.
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Yankees' Michael King: Ready for heavier workload
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Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake said that King is built up for 85-to-90 pitches in Thursday's start versus the Red Sox, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
King reached 79 pitches his last time out against the Brewers, when he fanned nine over five innings while yielding just one earned run. The right-hander has been excellent since moving into the Yankees' rotation, collecting a 1.08 ERA and 21:3 K:BB over 16.2 frames. He's making a case to be one of the team's five starters heading into next season.
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Yankees' Michael King: Possible waiver wire pickups
Rotowire
Michael King's transition from late-game reliever to starting pitcher has proven to be enough of a success that he's now a viable Fantasy target in his new role. His latest outing Saturday against the Brewers was his second straight of five innings, but he upped his pitch count from 69 to 79 without any compromise in stuff, at least if his nine strikeouts are any indication. While most pitchers lose a tick or two as they get stretched out, his velocity has held steady throughout this transition. King's next outing is against the Red Sox, which makes him in iffy play in Fantasy, but if you're looking for an extra start in a Head-to-Head points league, you have the option of slotting him in as a relief pitcher.
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Yankees' Michael King: Fans nine over five frames
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King did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and one walk over five innings against the Brewers while striking out nine.
King looked sharp against the Brewers, striking out four of the first seven batters he faced to open the contest. Two runs came across for Milwaukee in the top of the fourth, though only one was charged to King following a throwing error by DJ LeMahieu. The right-hander has now gone five innings in back-to-back starts, allowing a total of two earned runs over that stretch while posting a 13:1 K:BB.
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Yankees' Michael King: Collects win Sunday
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King (4-5) allowed a run on five hits and struck out four without walking a batter over five innings to earn the win over the Astros on Sunday.
King enjoyed his longest outing of the season, getting through five frames on an economical 69 pitches (44 strikes). That's a further build-up from the 61 pitches he threw over four scoreless innings Tuesday versus Detroit. The right-hander is now at a 2.88 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 91:25 K:BB through 78 innings over 44 appearances (four starts) this year. He appears to be set to remain a starter for the rest of 2023, but he'll likely still have to be efficient to have much of a chance to get wins. King is projected for a home outing versus Milwaukee in his next trip to the mound.
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Yankees' Michael King: Four scoreless innings
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King did not factor into the decision Tuesday, allowing three hits over four scoreless innings in a 4-2 win over the Tigers. He struck out five and did not issue a walk.
King set down the first six Tigers and surrendered just three singles across his four innings in his role as an opener of sorts. Across his two starts (against Washington and Detroit), the 28-year-old has gone a combined 6.2 innings allowing only four hits and one unearned run while striking out eight and walking two. It appears likely that the Yankees will continue to deploy him in a similar fashion with Jhony Brito following him in a bulk-relief role. If King does draw another start, it would likely occur over the weekend in Houston.
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Yankees' Michael King: Draws another starting assignment
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King is slated to start Tuesday's game against the Tigers at Comerica Park, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
While making his second "start" of the season his last time out Thursday versus the Nationals, King operated as more of an opener in front of Jhony Brito. King covered 2.2 innings, allowing one unearned run on one hit and two walks while striking out three. The Yankees could have King work a little deeper into his start Tuesday, though the right-hander is still unlikely to hit the five innings he would need to qualify for a win. Unless Brito is needed in relief in Monday's series opener, he could once again following King in Tuesday's contest.
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Yankees' Michael King: Strikes out three as opener
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King did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing one unearned run on one hit and two walks over 2.2 innings against the Nationals while striking out three.
King pitched well over the first two innings but found himself in a jam in the third after walking two of the first four batters he faced in the frame. One unearned run came home following a fielding error by Anthony Volpe and the right-hander was then relieved by Keynan Middleton as New York went with a bullpen day. The Yankees have now lost the last four games in which King has appeared, though he's held his own so far in August with a 3.00 ERA and 20:5 K:BB.
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Yankees' Michael King: Opening Thursday's game
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King will serve as the Yankees' opening pitcher for Thursday's game against Washington, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
King allowed two runs in two innings during his last outing as an opener on Aug. 12 against Miami. He'll presumably stay in Thursday's contest for 2-to-3 innings before turning the game over to the bullpen, with Jhony Brito being the most likely candidate to work in bulk relief.
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Yankees' Michael King: Listed as starter
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King is listed as the the Yankees' starting pitcher for Saturday's game against Miami, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
Like many major-league relievers, King was a starter in the minors and at the beginning of his MLB career, so being the first pitcher on the mound won't be an entirely new experience. He'll likely be more of an opener than a true starter Saturday, though he did record eight outs in his most recent relief appearance Tuesday against the White Sox and has thrown at least two full innings in 14 of his 38 outings this season. Jhony Brito was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday and could handle the bulk role behind King, though the Yankees have yet to lay out their plans.
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Yankees' Michael King: Nabs sixth save
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King picked up the save Saturday against the Cubs. striking out one over 1.2 scoreless innings.
King took over for Gerrit Cole with one out in the top of the eighth and needed just five pitches to retire the next two batters and end the inning. He would later hit Christopher Morel with a pitch in the ninth, but the right-hander was solid outside of that one hiccup en route to earning his sixth save of the season. King has now converted three of his last four save attempts and lowered his season ERA to 2.77 with Saturday's scoreless outing.
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Yankees' Michael King: Notches fourth save
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King picked up the save Tuesday against the Mets, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.
King sealed a 7-6 victory, setting the Mets down in order in the ninth inning after Clay Holmes pitched the eighth. It's King's first save since May 15. He improved to 4-for-6 in save chances with a 2.19 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 41:12 K:BB across 37 innings this season. King should continue to pitch in high-leverage spots for the Yankees, though Holmes is still likely the preferred ninth-inning option.
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Yankees' Michael King: Nabs third save
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King earned a save with 1.1 perfect innings against Toronto on Monday.
After the Blue Jays rallied for four runs in the bottom of eighth, King was summoned to put out the fire with two outs and a runner on second. He induced a groundout to end the frame, then stayed around for the ninth, during which he retired the side on 10 pitches. The successful outing earned King his third save, all of which have required him to get more than three outs. While it may be inaccurate to name King the Yankees' primary closer, he is as much in the mix as any of the team's relievers -- since April 27, he's notched three saves, Wandy Peralta has picked up two, two others have one apiece and Clay Holmes has zero.
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Yankees' Michael King: Tuesday's Waiver Wire Targets
Rotowire
It's hard to suggest Michael King is the Yankees closer when Monday's save was his first in nearly two weeks, but it was nice to see them turn to him for a four-out save against the Blue Jays just three days after he gave up three runs against the Blue Jays. It shows a level of trust, and while the Yankees ninth inning still feels pretty wide open – Wandy Peralta got two saves over the weekend – King is worth speculating on if you've been chasing saves in deeper leagues.
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Yankees' Michael King: Possible waiver wire pickups
Rotowire
King has two saves already, but since both were of the multi-inning variety, you might assume that's just his niche. A report came out this weekend, though, saying the Yankees were preparing to use him with greater frequency and in shorter spurts, and it didn't shy away from nominating him as a closer-in-waiting. "We could get there at some point," manager Aaron Boone said. Combine that with the fact that presumptive closer Clay Holmes' past two appearances have come prior to the ninth inning, and "some point" may be just around the corner. Ian Hamilton was the reliever who followed Holmes for a save Saturday, but likely just because King needed a day off. He has been the Yankees' best reliever two years running even while missing some time with a fractured elbow.
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Yankees' Michael King: Available back-to-back soon
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King will soon be available to pitch more frequently and in shorter bursts, Andy Martino of SNY.tv reports.
The Yankees have been careful with King's usage so far this season after a fractured pitching elbow ended his 2022 campaign. However, his arm has bounced back well and he has pitched his way into being one of manager Aaron Boone's most trusted relievers. King picked up a 1.2-inning save Tuesday versus the Guardians and, with Clay Holmes struggling, could be asked to shoulder more of the closing load.
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Yankees' Michael King: Closes out victory
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King picked up the save in Thursday's 4-2 win over Texas. He allowed one walk while striking out two over 2.1 scoreless innings.
King registered his first save of the season without giving up a hit. The right-hander has posted a 1.72 ERA through 15.2 innings pitched this year, and he will continue to play a significant role in the Yankees' bullpen if he keeps performing at this level.
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Yankees' Michael King: Sees drop in velocity
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King's velocity was down in Tuesday's loss to Philadelphia, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
King allowed four hits over 1.1 innings in the outing, with the first two knocks driving in a pair of runs that were charged to Domingo German. King's fastball topped out at 95.2 mph in the contest, about a tick below his average velocity on the pitch last season. Overall, King's average four-seamer is clocking in at 94.1 mph this season as opposed to 96.4 mph in 2022. While the right-hander said he believes the reduced velocity to be mechanical, manager Aaron Boone suggested that the reliever may be in the midst of a "dead-arm period." It's not yet certain if the issue will affect King's availability moving forward.
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Yankees' Michael King: Expects to be ready for Opening Day
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King (elbow) expects to be ready for the start of the season, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.
King missed the final two-plus months of the 2022 season after fracturing his right elbow. The 27-year-old was excellent before the injury with a 2.29 ERA over 51 innings and a 66:16 K:BB ratio over 34 appearances. Assuming good health, King should be a bridge to Clay Holmes in the late innings.
