The Rangers are prepping King to potentially join the starting rotation, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.
King, who has been a starter in the minors, has served as a multi-inning reliever for the Rangers in 2021, including a three-inning, season-high 38-pitch effort against Minnesota on Saturday. "He's got multiple pitches. He's got good command. He can get through innings quickly because of his sinker. It made sense to us to see what that at least looks like going into the second half of the season and see what we've got," manager Chris Woodward said. The Rangers will likely push King's pitch count higher the next time out. It may make sense for Texas, losers in 19 of the last 22 games and 20 games below .500, to move on from veterans Mike Foltynewicz (5.59 ERA, 17 HR, 74 IP) and Jordan Lyles (5.68 ERA, 16 HR, 71.1 IP).