Yankees' Michael King Expected to Miss Rest of Season With Elbow Injury
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Yankees reliever Michael King exited Friday night's win against the Orioles with a right elbow injury.
While the Yankees didn't initially have an update on King's status, it didn't take long for a diagnosis of the right-hander's injury to be revealed.
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, King has a fracture in his right elbow and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2022 season, a devastating blow for New York and their pitching staff.
The right-hander immediately motioned to New York's dugout after delivering a slider in the dirt with one out in the eighth at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone and a member of New York's training staff immediately joined King on the infield grass, checking in on the reliever before he left the game, walking slowly off the field.
Television cameras picked up the conversation between those three individuals and it looked like the trainer said King's "elbow just popped" to Boone.
Closer Clay Holmes replaced King, recording the final five outs to secure a save in the 7-6 victory.
After the game, Boone told reporters that King is being evaluated for an elbow injury and that the club will make some roster moves later Friday evening.
"He's been one of the best pitchers in the league," Boone said. "Hope and pray for the best for King, but I'm not going to speculate."
Sherman reported that King has a fracture in his elbow shortly thereafter.
King has been so dominant this year, so reliable in a variety of roles out of the bullpen. The right-hander posted a 2.29 ERA over 34 games this season, striking out 66 batters in 51 frames. He arguably should've made the All-Star Game as well, one of the glaring snubs from this year's American League roster.
The Yankees have already lost two pitchers to Tommy John surgery this season (Chad Green and Luis Gil). A slew of other arms are either just returning from injury or currently preside on the injured list.
There are internal options to eat innings, but it's growing increasingly clear that the Yankees need to add to their pitching staff before the trade deadline. If they do pursue pitchers, general manager Brian Cashman and his team have less than two weeks to make magic happen on the open market.
MORE:
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- Trades the Yankees Should Make to Prepare For Postseason Rematch With Astros
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