John

King

King started Sunday’s bullpen game after Janson Junk was scratched and placed on the injured list with a shin issue. Junk joins Eury Pérez and Robby Snelling as recent rotation losses for a staff that is suddenly extremely thin. King might be used as an opener on bullpen days going forward, but he’ll otherwise revert to middle relief.

King was non-tendered by the Cardinals in November after posting a 4.66 ERA last year. The sinkerballer had come in at 3.47 over the previous four seasons, and the Marlins are making a small bet that he’ll get back into that territory. If it works out, he’ll probably be flipped for a prospect in July.

King had a down 2025, allowing a 4.66 ERA and eight homers in just 51 games pitched. He’ll look to rebound with the Marlins and should have a decent shot of making the Opening Day roster based on this contract.

Alcala had already been DFA’d earlier this week. King had a 3.33 ERA in 128 innings out of the pen since being acquired from the Rangers in 2023, but he was up to 4.66 last season, mostly because he allowed eight homers in spite of his usual 60% groundball rate. Dropping him will save the Cardinals about $2 million, but he’d still seem to be worth at least that much with his double play ability.

The 30-year-old southpaw missed just over two weeks due to a mid-back strain. He returns to an underwhelming 5.18 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and a 24/13 K/BB ratio over 41 2/3 innings through his first 43 appearances with the Cardinals this season. Nick Raquet was optioned back to Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move on Friday.

King was just activated off the injured list Sunday after recovering from his oblique strain. The 30-year-old’s season could be over, but he’ll be eligible to return to St. Louis in the middle of September.

King rejoins St. Louis’ relief corps following a three-weeks absence recovering from a left oblique strain. The 30-year-old southpaw has compiled a serviceable 5.18 ERA across 41 2/3 innings (43 appearances) this season in a low-leverage role.

There’s some optimism that King didn’t suffer a serious strain during Tuesday’s relief appearance against the Marlins, but he’s likely going to miss at least a couple weeks, even if it winds up being on the mild end of the spectrum. The 30-year-old lefty has posted a pedestrian 5.18 ERA across 41 2/3 innings (43 appearances) this season in low-leverage duty.

The 30-year-old southpaw had been projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to earn $1.5 million via arbitration, so on the surface it looks like a fair deal for both sides. King delivered his strongest season as a professional in 2024, posting a stellar 2.85 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and a 38/14 K/BB ratio across 60 innings in a middle relief role for the Cardinals. He’ll function in a middle relief role once again in 2025.

The 29-year-old hurler made two appearances with the Cardinals this season and allowed one earned run and struck out four batters across 2 1/3 innings. Expect King to be up-and-down as the team manages its day-to-day roster.