McKinney was traded by the Yankees to the Pirates in exchange for international bonus pool money Thursday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
McKinney spent the 2023 season in the Yankees organization and agreed to a minor-league deal to return to the club earlier in the offseason. He should provide depth in the Pirates outfield but is unlikely to draw regular playing time, barring injury.
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Yankees' Billy McKinney: Returns to Yankees
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McKinney signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees on Friday, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.
McKinney split the 2023 season between the Yankees and their Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, posting a .726 OPS with six homers over 48 games during his time with the big club. The 29-year-old will provide the Bronx Bombers with some veteran outfield depth.
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Billy McKinney: Hits free agent market
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McKinney (back) elected to become a free agent Monday.
He'll test out free agency rather than accept the Yankees' outright assignment. McKinney missed the last several weeks of the season with a back injury and it's not clear what his current health situation is.
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Yankees' Billy McKinney: Placed on outright waivers
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The Yankees outrighted McKinney (back) to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.
Back spasms kept McKinney out of action since late August, and he'll now lose his spot on the Yankees' 40-man roster. The 29-year-old outfielder has the option to become a free agent and should be able to secure at least a minor-league deal after posting a .726 OPS with New York.
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Yankees' Billy McKinney: Placed on 10-day IL
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The Yankees placed McKinney on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a left lower-back spasm.
This back stiffness first popped up late last week and McKinney may have aggravated when he returned to action in Sunday's series finale against the Red Sox. The 28-year-old outfielder was slashing just .184/.304/.263 in 46 plate appearances since the calendar flipped to August.
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Yankees' Billy McKinney: Rejoins lineup for series finale
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McKinney (back) will start in left field and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Red Sox.
A stiff back kept McKinney on the bench for Saturday's 8-1 loss, but he'll draw back into the lineup Sunday to make his third start in four games. McKinney is without a clear path to an everyday spot in the Yankees outfield, but he should play at least semi-regularly against right-handed pitching while manager Aaron Boone occasionally hands rest days to the likes of Giancarlo Stanton, Jake Bauers and Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
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Yankees' Billy McKinney: Battling back stiffness
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McKinney's absence from the lineup Saturday against the Red Sox is due to a stiff back, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
McKinney's back stiffness may be part of the reason he's hit just .184/.304/.263 over his last 15 games. Greg Allen starts in left field in his absence.
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Yankees' Billy McKinney: Homers Thursday
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McKinney went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Astros.
McKinney extended the Yankees' lead to 3-0 with a blast in the first inning off Cristian Javier, his sixth long ball of the year. McKinney's seen his playing time take a hit following the return of Aaron Judge -- Thursday's start was just McKinney's second in New York's last six games. Overall, the 28-year-old McKinney is slashing .237/.315/.474 with 14 runs scored, 12 RBI and a stolen base through 108 plate appearances this season.
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Yankees' Billy McKinney: Loses hold of platoon role
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McKinney is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rays.
The lefty-hitting McKinney finds himself on the bench against a right-handed starting pitcher (Tyler Glasnow) for the third game in a row, a clear sign that he's no longer viewed as a strong-side platoon player in the wake of Aaron Judge's return from the injured list. At least for the time being, the lefty-hitting Jake Bauers appears to be the top option at the corner-outfield spot opposite Judge. Isiah Kiner-Falefa or Greg Allen will likely replace Bauers in the corner outfield when the Yankees face left-handed pitching.
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Yankees' Billy McKinney: Heads to bench versus lefty
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McKinney is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mets.
The Yankees will roll out a right-handed-hitting outfield of Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Harrison Bader and Giancarlo Stanton against Mets southpaw Jose Quintana, leaving no room in the lineup for the lefty-hitting McKinney. He had started in center field or left field in each of the last four games, going 3-for-8 with a home run, five walks, four runs, three RBI and a stolen base.
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Yankees' Billy McKinney: Reaches three times Saturday
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McKinney went 1-for-2 with two walks, two runs and a stolen base against Kansas City in Saturday's 5-2 win.
McKinney set the table from the leadoff spot for New York, reaching base three times and scoring two of the team's five runs. It was the first time the outfielder has batted leadoff this season, and the start was just his third since the All-Star break. McKinney is starting again Sunday, this time batting seventh and playing left field, per Max Goodman of The Newark Star-Ledger.
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Yankees' Billy McKinney: Sitting Monday
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McKinney is not in the starting lineup Monday versus the Angels.
McKinney will be on the bench after he went 0-for-4 with a run scored and four strikeouts while starting one game during the Yankees' series in Colorado. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will draw another start in left field and bat seventh for the series opener in Los Angeles.
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Yankees' Billy McKinney: Not starting Friday
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McKinney isn't in the Yankees' lineup Friday against Colorado, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.
McKinney has just two hits in his last 10 games, and he'll sit out the first game of the second half as the Rockies send southpaw Austin Gomber to the mound. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will take over in left field and bat seventh.
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Yankees' Billy McKinney: Back in lineup
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McKinney (foot) is starting in right field Thursday against Baltimore.
McKinney was temporarily relegated to the bench for a handful of games while nursing a sore foot, but he's now back in the lineup Thursday. The 28-year-old outfielder has been in a slump of late, going just 1-for-15 with six strikeouts across his last seven games.
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Yankees' Billy McKinney: Nursing sore foot
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Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed prior to Wednesday's game against the Orioles that McKinney has been available off the bench only in an emergency the last few days after recently fouling a ball off his foot, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
The foot issue explains why McKinney hasn't started since the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cardinals. McKinney had also cooled off at the dish prior to the foot issue, going hitless in his last 14 at-bats. He could return to the lineup as soon as Thursday's series finale.
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Yankees' Billy McKinney: Sits versus righty
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McKinney is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Orioles.
McKinney had been on the bench for four of the Yankees' previous five games, but all of those absences from the lineup had come with the opposition bringing left-handed pitchers to the hill. The lefty-hitting outfielder will now be sitting out Monday against a right-hander (Tyler Wells), with both McKinney and fellow lefty hitter Jake Bauers ceding their spots in the corner outfield to a pair of right-handed hitters in Giancarlo Stanton and Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
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Yankees' Billy McKinney: Out versus lefty
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McKinney is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.
He'll be on the bench for the fourth time in five games, with all four absences coming against left-handed pitching. McKinney owns a respectable .801 OPS in 65 plate appearances since receiving a promotion from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on June 7, so he could still be in line for steady playing time versus right-handers until Aaron Judge (toe) makes his way back from the injured list.
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Yankees' Billy McKinney: Sitting against lefty again
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McKinney is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Athletics.
With the Yankees facing a lefty (Hogan Harris) for the second day in a row, McKinney will once again take a seat after he was also on the bench for Wednesday's 11-0 win. Since being called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on June 7, McKinney has produced an .884 OPS over 59 plate appearances, making him one of the Yankees' more productive hitters during that stretch. He should be able to see at least semi-regular playing time versus right-handed pitching until he cools off.
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Yankees' Billy McKinney: Plays hero Saturday
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McKinney went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 1-0 win over the Rangers.
The outfielder took Jon Gray deep in the fourth inning, and that proved to be the game's only spark of offense. McKinney has gone yard three times in the last five contests, and since his addition to the roster early in the month he's hit safely in 14 of 15 games, generating a .320/.346/.660 slash line with half of his 16 hits (three doubles, a triple and four homers) going for extra bases. Aaron Judge (toe) still lacks a clear timeline for his return, so McKinney figures to remain a fixture in the lineup as long as he keeps producing.
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Yankees' Billy McKinney: Homers in victory
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McKinney went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Mariners.
McKinney crushed a sinker from George Kirby that was left over the middle of the plate to put the Yankees up 3-0 in the third. The 28-year-old has recorded at least one base hit in all but one game since being called up June 8. He's now slashing .289/.308/.579 with two homers, four RBI, five runs and a 1:6 BB:K over 39 plate appearances.
