The Pirates designated outfielder Billy McKinney for project Friday, per a crew announcement. His spot on the roster will go to catcher Joey Bart, who’s been reinstated from the injured checklist.
McKinney was traded from the Yankees to the Pirates over the winter in alternate for worldwide bonus pool house. He’s spent the majority of the season with Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliate the place he’s missed time with damage however posted a sound .295/.396/.450 batting line in 154 plate appearances when wholesome. Pittsburgh chosen him to the 40-man roster late final month, and he’s appeared in 10 video games, hitting .200/.286/.240 in that small pattern.
A 2013 first-round decide by the A’s, McKinney has discovered himself concerned in loads of notable trades over time. He went from Oakland to the Cubs as a part of the Jeff Samardzija commerce in 2014, then was flipped from Chicago to New York as a part of the 2016 Aroldis Chapman blockbuster. The Yankees finally traded McKinney to Toronto as a part of their deal for veteran lefty J.A. Happ.
McKinney has gotten appears with seven completely different large league organizations however by no means topped 276 plate appearances in a single large league season with one crew. He’s performed in 321 MLB video games and picked up 943 plate appearances, batting .209/.284/.386 in that point. The previous prime prospect has appeared in elements of seven Triple-A seasons and slashed .274/.359/.504 with 56 homers in 1304 plate appearances at that degree.
