Before progressing to bullpens, Michael King was doing a lot of the sketching as he, the team and physical therapist Scott Hacker began to outline what his return to the rotation would look like.

Ideally, the plan would not have included any rehab assignments. After all, Yu Darvish’s final ramp-up — after the setback following his initial appearance for Triple-A El Paso in mid-May — did not include any time in a minor league ballpark.

“You have to give and take in a negotiation,” King said.

So one rehab assignment was more than enough for King.

He threw 61 pitches in 3⅓ innings on Sunday at Round Rock. He hit the first batter he faced and gave up six runs on four hits and a walk while striking out five.

Most importantly, he felt 100% during the rehab appearance, after the outing and a

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