Rangers 40-Man Roster Wraps: John King

John King proved to be a capable reliever for the Texas Rangers and improved in a key area in 2022.

InsidetheRangers.com will review each of the players on the Texas Rangers 40-man roster at the conclusion of the 2022 season.

P John King

Statistics for 2022: King went 1-4 with a 4.03 ERA in 39 appearances, all in relief. He had eight holds. He threw 51 1/3 innings with 61 hits, 27 runs (23 earned), five home runs and 14 walks. He struck out 30. Opponents hit .298 against him and had a 1.46 WHIP.

Season Transactions: King made the Rangers’ Opening Day roster. The Rangers optioned King to Triple-A Round Rock on July 6. The Rangers recalled King on Aug. 10 and sent him back to Round Rock on Aug. 18. The Rangers recalled King on Sept. 4 and he remained with the Rangers for the rest of 2022.

Season Summary: King took a small step back from 2021, during which he broke through with a 7-5 record and a 3.52 ERA in 27 games for the Rangers. However, King gave up 24 runs in 46 innings in 2021, while giving up 27 runs in 51 1.3 innings in 2022. So King actually became more efficient, even though his won-loss record turned upside-down and his ERA went up. One thing to watch moving forward is his opponent batting average, which went up 65 points from 2021 to 2022. He fit well into a bullpen that featured several quality left-handers throughout the season.

Contract Status: King is under team control in 2023. He is eligible for arbitration in 2024. He won’t be a free agent until after the 2027 season.

What’s next: King enters 2023 as an incumbent for a relief role with the Rangers. There will be competition pushing him, but the lefty has shown he can be a consistent option in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings.

2022 Texas Rangers 40-Man Roster Wraps:

Ezequiel Duran | A.J. Alexy | Josh Smith | Tyson Miller | Corey Seager | Joe Barlow | Leody Taveras | Brad Miller | Drew Strotman | Josh Jung | Jon Gray | Taylor Hearn | Mitch Garver | Kevin Plawecki | Mark Mathias

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