Yankees RP Michael King Doesn’t Need Tommy John Surgery

The right-hander is still recovering from a stress fracture in his throwing elbow, but nothing more.

Michael King received the news he wanted to hear on Thursday.

The Yankees reliever told Sports Illustrated that he does not need Tommy John surgery after imaging confirmed that his ulnar collateral ligament is “intact.” King, a righty, had been hoping for this news since suffering a stress fracture in his throwing elbow in July, but the initial pain prevented him from getting into a proper position for an MRI on his UCL. Original images appeared to be clean but were inconclusive.

Thursday’s exam gave King the convincing pictures he needed.

"No Tommy John. They said the ligament is intact. No partial tearing. It looks great. I was very relieved to hear that,” an excited King said. “Everything checked out."

With multiple doctors in agreement on the UCL, King plans to start throwing again between Oct. 27 and Nov. 27 after undergoing season-ending surgery for the fracture in late July. He just needs an additional X-ray to confirm that his bone has properly healed before he starts throwing.

Should that also come back clean, King would be able to enjoy a more or less normal offseason. He said he typically takes November off from lifting and throwing, but starting a little sooner will allow him to build up needed arm strength.

King believes he won’t miss any time in 2023.

"Obviously, starting a throwing program in October, November, means that I'll be totally fine by next year, which is great,” he said. “That's really like my ultimate goal, is to not miss any time next year."

King enjoyed a breakout season prior to his fracture, which occurred in the middle of a game against the Orioles on July 22. The 27-year-old established himself as a versatile, pivotal piece in New York’s bullpen, recording a 2.29 ERA and 1.7 fWAR over 51 innings and 34 games. A multi-inning threat, King struck out 33.2 percent of the batters he faced.

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