NEW YORK -- The Yankees declared their dismal West Coast trip to be ¡°rock bottom¡± for their 2023 season, promising their next nine innings would showcase a cleaner product.

So far, so good.

Billy McKinney belted a three-run homer and contributed a pair of excellent catches in center field as the Yankees snapped their four-game skid on Friday evening, opening their homestand with a 5-4 victory over the Royals at Yankee Stadium.

¡°I¡¯ve always felt like I could play center,¡± McKinney said. ¡°I¡¯m not Byron Buxton out there, tracking stuff down, but I think I can play well enough whenever a guy like [Harrison] Bader needs a day. I¡¯m here to help fill in when an opportunity arises.¡±

Filling in for Bader, who sustained a bruised rib after a hit-by-pitch in the Yanks¡¯ loss at Anaheim on Wednesday, McKinney made a sliding grab on a Kyle Isbel liner in the third inning, then scaled the wall to take away a Drew Waters hit in the seventh.

¡°That was impressive. I didn¡¯t know he was a center fielder like that,¡± said Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt. ¡°I guess that¡¯s his true position now. Two big plays right there and a big swing; it was an all-around night for him. It was fun to watch.¡±

McKinney cracked his fifth homer of the season in the fourth off Kansas City¡¯s Alec Marsh, who also served up homers to Franchy Cordero and Gleyber Torres?in his fourth Major League start.

A home series with the last-place Royals -- who are on pace for 116 losses -- should represent an opportunity for the Yankees to regain some footing, coming off their stumbles in a 1-5 trip to Colorado and Anaheim.

¡°Everybody has been pushing each other, helping each other out, and everybody wants to win,¡± McKinney said. ¡°We¡¯re trying really hard to do so. I¡¯m glad we got one tonight.¡±

It has been ¡°a whirlwind¡± of a season for the 28-year-old McKinney, who returned to the Yankees organization this spring after five years bouncing between the Blue Jays, Brewers, Mets, Dodgers and Athletics before finally getting to play a home game at Yankee Stadium.

Aaron Judge¡¯s expected return, as well as the current Minor League rehabs for outfielders Jake Bauers and Willie Calhoun, could complicate McKinney¡¯s place on the roster.

But manager Aaron Boone said that McKinney ¡°has certainly played well enough to merit continued consideration, whether it be in the lineup or on the team,¡± and McKinney does not appear to be stressing over what could happen in the next few weeks.

¡°This isn¡¯t my first crazy season,¡± McKinney said. ¡°I know it¡¯s a clich¨¦, but one day at a time. I really do take it like that.¡±

The homers from the Yankees helped support Schmidt, who permitted three runs and five hits over 5 2/3 innings as he picked up his sixth win of the season. All three runs came on Michael Massey¡¯s first homer of the game. Schmidt was also the winning pitcher in the Yanks¡¯ most recent victory on Saturday at Coors Field.

¡°The big swing got me tonight with a three-run homer, but I was able to keep my team in the game,¡± said Schmidt, who is 5-2 with a 3.02 ERA in his last 12 games (11 starts) after starting the year 1-4 with a 6.30 ERA over his first nine starts.

Schmidt had tossed only 64 pitches when Boone elected to go to left-hander Wandy Peralta, explaining that he felt the two-on, two-out situation ¡°was the game right there.¡± Peralta retired Nick Pratto on a routine flyout to McKinney.

¡°I get it. They played the matchup right there, and Wandy came away with a big out,¡± Schmidt said.

Massey added his second home run of the game facing Tommy Kahnle in the eighth inning, setting up a tight conclusion. With Clay Holmes on the mound in the ninth, Waters stole second base, a play that the Yankees unsuccessfully challenged.

Bobby Witt Jr. chopped a two-out grounder to shortstop Anthony Volpe, who spotted Waters attempting to advance and alertly fired to third baseman DJ LeMahieu, a play that Royals manager Mike Quatraro called ¡°extremely heads-up.¡±

Third-base umpire Jordan Baker quickly ruled Waters safe, but Boone requested a crew chief review, which overturned the call.

¡°I didn¡¯t know if we could challenge it after we just challenged,¡± Volpe said. ¡°I was kind of surprised and happy when they put it on the board.¡±