Report: Pirates To Select Contract Of Former Yankee Outfielder

The Pittsburgh Pirates will select the contract of former New York Yankee outfielder Billy McKinney for Monday’s game in Texas. Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was the first to break the story.

Report: Pirates To Select Contract Of Former Yankee Outfielder McKinney

This will be the first major league action for the well-traveled McKinney, 29, in 2024. Last year with the Yankees, the left-handed-hitter hit .227/.320/.406, 6 HR, and 14 RBI. Lifetime, he’s a .209/.284/.390 hitter with six major league teams. With Triple-A Indianapolis this season, he hit .298/.403/.460, 5 HR, and 18 RBI. However, this isn’t the first time he’s put together a good season with the bat in Triple-A. McKinney has yet to translate that hitting to the major leagues consistently. If nothing else, he’s been persistent. He’s played in 21 different cities between the major and minor leagues in 11 years. Pittsburgh will be city number 22.

The Pirates purchased McKinney from the Yankees in December and invited him to spring training. It looked like McKinney had a chance to break camp with the Pirates for a while due to his ability to lay center field. However, McKinney’s chances decreased when the Pirates signed Michael A. Taylor to a $4 million contract.

Corresponding Move Coming

The corresponding move is unknown at this time. Somebody will have to be removed from the 40-man roster and the active roster to make room for McKinney. On Saturday, the Pirates placed designated hitter Andrew McCutchen on the injured list and called shortstop Alika Williams up from Triple-A to assume McCutchen’s roster spot. Williams was a logical choice because regular shortstop Oneil Cruz was bothered by leg issues. Cruz was the designated hitter on Saturday and returned to the field on Sunday. With Cruz able to play nine innings at shortstop without incident, the Pirates carry one too many middle infielders. It seems likely Williams will be returned to Triple-A after a brief stay. Jared Triolo may have been another possibility. But he might have saved his spot with Friday’s home run.

How McKinney Fits With The Pirates

It was speculated here that a hitter might be brought up once Cruz proved healthy enough to take the field. Even so, McKinney is a surprise choice. As noted previously, there were younger hitters the Pirates may have wanted to look at when the opportunity presented itself. Henry Davis, Nick Yorke, Billy Cook, and, to a lesser extent, Jack Suwinski seemed possibilities.

What the choice of McKinney might indicate is that the Pirates still believe they are legitimate contenders in the National League Wild Card race. The Pirates might prefer McKinney’s experience in that situation. Another consideration may have been concerns over a lower back issue with left fielder Bryan Reynolds. Reynolds was held from the lineup on Saturday and served as the designated hitter on Sunday. The Pirates may have wanted McKinney for his good outfield defense while Reynolds recovers. Newly acquired Bryan De La Cruz has been manning the spacious left field at PNC Park. However, De La Cruz is not a strong defensive outfielder. He’d been playing right field with less territory to cover. After three games in Texas, the Bucs return home for seven games.

The Last Word

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen how the Pirates will employ McKinney and what this means for his future. In light of the recent acquisitions of De La Cruz and Cook, the Pirates may not need McKinney beyond 2024. In any event, McKinney will welcome another opportunity to showcase his skills at the major league level. If it leads him to a 23rd city in 2025, he’ll surely jump at the opportunity.