DETROIT — Michael King’s offer to move from the bullpen to the rotation this season mostly stemmed from a need due to injuries.
But what about 2024?
In a mostly lost year for the Yankees, they can at least use the final weeks of the season to get a better sense of whether King might be a viable option as a starter next year, depending on how the offseason shakes out.
The right-hander, who will make his third start of the month on Tuesday against the Tigers, is at least hoping to put the ball in the Yankees’ court and make it a difficult decision for them.
“I also look at it like roster flexibility,” King said Monday at Comerica Park. “If it gets to the point where we’re in spring training and we need a fifth starter, they know what they have in me, and they know, ‘Hey, King was great for the last five weeks of the season. We can give him an opportunity.’ Or, ‘We got five starters, and King was great in the bullpen, so we’re going to put him in the bullpen.’
“I would love to obviously succeed and give them that flexibility but also, in the back of their minds, have it be pushing for me to be one of those starters next year.”
The Yankees are not yet committing to King starting every five days the rest of this season, but he knows that, if he succeeds, it will be an easier conversation.
On Tuesday, King for the first time will start on a full four days’ rest that is typical of starters while stretching out to around 55-60 pitches.
A day after he threw 50 pitches in Thursday’s start against the Nationals, he met with manager Aaron Boone and asked if he could get on a five-day routine.
King had found himself sitting in the bullpen the two days before his outing hoping he didn’t have to pitch so he could start, which he realized was an unhelpful mindset to have if he had actually been needed in relief.
Boone told King he could likely get on a five-day routine.
Then after Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt both had deep starts on Friday and Saturday against the Rays, Boone gave King the green light, which allowed him to throw a between-starts bullpen session and fully game plan for an opposing lineup for the first time.
“Seems like he’s taken to it pretty well so far,” pitching coach Matt Blake said. “Obviously, he wants to be a starter, so obviously as we keep moving forward, it’s definitely in the cards. We’ll take each outing and make an assessment after that.”
King, who came up through the minor leagues as a starter before transitioning to a valuable bullpen piece in the majors, could build up to around 80-85 pitches by the end of this season if he continues to start.
He then plans to treat his offseason like he will be building up to start next season, since it would be easier to lessen his workload in spring training instead of the other way around.
As the Yankees are currently constructed, their 2024 rotation is set to include Cole, Carlos Rodon, Schmidt and Nestor Cortes.
Domingo German’s future is uncertain as he spends the rest of this season on the restricted list to receives treatment for alcohol abuse.
There could also be younger internal arms like Randy Vasquez and Jhony Brito, but King is hoping to at least be in the conversation.
“Hopefully next year, we’re looking at having flexibility there and giving him a look in that role,” Blake said.
In the meantime, the Yankees could use the rest of this season to see how King’s stuff — with a bigger arsenal, including higher velocity and a sweeper, than the last time he was a full-time starter — plays in extended outings.
“Just want to see how it plays and if he can sustain it in the starter role,” Blake said. “You don’t want to take what he has as a reliever and degrade it as a starter. But if he can sustain some of it, it’s definitely a good option.”