When pitcher Mike King injured his right elbow last season, the New York Yankees had no idea when he could return to the rotation. Fast forward to a month before spring training begins, and there talk about King being ready by Opening Day.
Per Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, Mike King described the moment his career, after becoming a top reliever for the Yankees, took a bad turn during a game against the Baltimore Orioles.
“I felt my elbow pop,” he said. “I didn’t know what was going on.”
That “pop” turned out to be a fracture of his olecranon crown — the tip of his elbow. The injury is said to be rare among fully-developed athletes, but can occur due to overuse of the pitching arm. To repair the injury, King had a pair of metal plates and screws inserted into the elbow. Six months after the surgery, King is on track to be in the rotation, and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman hopes to have him available for Game 1.
Any time a pitcher experiences soreness in their throwing arm, which was how King's injury began, there's always a worry about impending surgery, especially Tommy John surgery. Sadly, the likelihood of elbow surgery seems more common because of how hard these pitchers can throw, and the variation of arm angles. The combination can put a lot of pressure on the elbow, and in King's case, the tip of it.
With King making it to the big leagues after years of being a middling prospect, it's also understood why he would try to battle through the pain. Players don't want to lose their spots on a team once they get it.
Through it all, the Yankees and their fans will be happy to see King back in the rotation.
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