New York Yankees Call-Up Former Top Prospect to Replace Aaron Judge
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He's getting another chance in the major leagues.
On Wednesday, the New York Yankees called up outfielder Billy McKinney and signed him to a major league contract.
This move comes in the wake of the Yankees placing superstar outfielder Aaron Judge on the injured list with a sprained right big toe.
Judge injured his toe when making a spectacular catch against the wall at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night, where he busted through the door.
Unfortunately, this great play came with consequences, as Judge now lands back on the IL for the second time this season. Judge spent 10 days on the IL a month ago with a strained right hip.
As for McKinney, the Yankees signed him to a minor league deal in the offseason. The former top prospect was having a more than solid season for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, slashing .274/.388/.511 with nine home runs and 25 RBI in 40 games.
The Yankees are hoping that McKinney's production will carry over to the big-leagues. However, this has not been the case throughout his career. For his career, McKinney has a .206/.277/.387 slash line with 28 home runs and 72 RBI.
In his most recent big-league stint, McKinney hit an anemic .096/.158/.173 with just seven hits in 23 games for the Oakland Athletics last season.
In 2021, McKinney played for the Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers.
At just 28-years-old, McKinney will hope to get his career back on track in the Bronx.
Read more from Inside the Pinstripes:
- Yankees Lose Aaron Judge to Injured List For 2nd Time This Season
- Yankees Named Front-Runners in Shohei Ohtani Sweepstakes
- Former Yankees Outfielder Signs With AL Contender
- White Sox Reportedly Shopping Ace, Yankees Should be Interested
- Yankees Place Bader Back on IL
