TAMPA -- The first official day of spring training brought a significant update for the Yankees and their bullpen, when pitcher Michael King said he was healthy and expected to begin the season on time.
King, who fractured his elbow on July 22, said he was now “100 percent. My [velocity] has been back up there. Movement, everything looks normal. Now it’s just working of timing in my mechanics.”
King has already thrown 10 bullpen sessions and one live batting practice. He says he is throwing all of his pitches. He expects to have a normal progression in the Grapefruit League season, though he does not yet know if he will be built up as a multi-inning reliever or a short reliever.
Inside the Yankees clubhouse last year, teammates pointed to King’s injury as a major turning point in a season that was drawing early comparisons to the 1998 Yankees. Much of that success in the initial months was rooted in the dominant bullpen duo of King and Clay Holmes.
While it is never as simple as identifying a single cause for a season dimming, the loss of King was massive for the Yanks -- and his apparent return is extremely positive news.