McKinney thankful for second chance in New York

This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Billy McKinney took a quick first step after hearing the crack of the bat in the 10th inning on Sunday night, expertly angling his body to peer over his right shoulder as he raced toward the warning track. With a leap against the left-field wall, the journeyman reached high to snare the drive, stealing extra bases from Pablo Reyes of the Red Sox.

A sellout crowd of more than 46,000 roared for the catch, and though McKinney’s play alone couldn’t propel his club to victory, it was another memorable moment in a whirlwind week for the 28-year-old. Promoted from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following Aaron Judge’s injury, McKinney has contributed on both offensively and defensively, including belting his first Yankees homer earlier in the week.

“It means the world,” McKinney said. “I’m just glad the Yankees gave me an opportunity, and hopefully I can help the team win any way I can.”

This is technically McKinney’s second tour in a Yankees uniform, though you could be excused for missing his blink-and-you-missed-it debut.

Once a first-round pick of the Athletics in the 2013 MLB Draft, McKinney was swapped to the Cubs a year later, a trade that introduced McKinney to infielder Gleyber Torres -- then a top prospect in the Chicago system. Torres and McKinney were included in the four-player bounty when the Cubs acquired closer Aroldis Chapman from the Yankees in July 2016.

“I know Billy from the Cubs, years ago,” Torres said this week. “I haven’t seen Billy in two years, three years, I guess. And he comes here and hits a home run. I feel really happy for him.”

McKinney made his Yankees debut in March 2018, playing in two games, though both were on the road at Toronto’s Rogers Centre. In July 2018, the Yankees traded McKinney to the Blue Jays, packaging him with infielder Brandon Drury for left-hander J.A. Happ.

“I always was a little disappointed that I never got to hit in Yankee Stadium as a home player,” McKinney said.

Over the next several seasons, McKinney played with the Brewers, Mets, Dodgers and A’s before finding his way back to the Bronx, earning a promotion by belting nine homers in 40 Triple-A games this year. He finally got that first Yankee Stadium at-bat in pinstripes, contributing a homer and a great grab in a Yankees-Red Sox game.

Though center fielder Harrison Bader appears to be nearing a big league activation, there’s no timetable yet established for Judge’s return from a right-big-toe injury. As such, McKinney figures to continue picking up at-bats for the foreseeable future, intending to make the most of his unexpected opportunity.

“It’s been pretty hectic,” McKinney said. “I’ve kind of been around a little bit, but I’ve been grateful for my journey and I’m glad to be where I am right now.”