Aaron Boone Explains Why Michael King Was Placed on the 60-Day Injured List

New York Yankees reliever Michael King was placed on the 60-day injured list due to a finger contusion. King will need to build up after not being able to throw

ST. PETERSBURG — Just before first pitch on Tuesday night, the Yankees placed right-hander Michael King on the 60-day injured list.

After the game—a 4-3 victory for New York against the Rays—manager Aaron Boone provided some clarity as to why the 60-day IL was a necessary step for King and his middle finger contusion.

"It's no throw for another week, which would be four weeks. So then you're talking about at least a four-week build up from that point," Boone explained. "So I think it was just going to be something that was cutting it close."

The right-hander initially got hurt in what Boone called a "freak accident" when King's finger got jammed between two weights during a lifting session. King was promptly placed on the 10-day injured list on July 8, a move that was retroactive to July 5.

Earlier on Tuesday, Boone mentioned that King visited with a hand specialist, learning that the injury wasn't believed to be anything serious. That doesn't mean he's ready to start working back yet, though. It's going to take some time.

I asked Aaron Boone this afternoon about Michael King's finger injury:

"He saw a hand specialist today. They don't think it's anything serious ... hopefully a week from today, start that build up and start his way back."

King was just placed on the 60-day injured list.
— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) July 27, 2021

Since King needs to ramp up after being unable to throw for the last several weeks, the decision to advance King to the 60-day makes sense. He'll be eligible to return in early September, giving him those four-plus weeks to build up his arm again once he's cleared to begin throwing.

King has pitched in 14 games this season, making six starts and tossing a total of 48.1 innings. The 26-year-old has posted a 3.72 ERA in that span, a massive step in the right direction after pitching to a 7.76 ERA in nine appearances during last year's shortened campaign.

While the right-hander's goal to eclipse the 100-inning mark this season won't come to fruition in 2021, it certainly seems like he'll still be able to contribute down the stretch.

If he can get a clean bill of health and return to this club in the final month of the regular season, he may be called upon right away to pitch in some big, must-win ballgames with playoff implications.

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