The first reinforcement following Aaron Judge’s injury was a surprise.
With the corresponding move for Judge hitting the 10-day injured list, the Yankees called up outfielder Billy McKinney, who had not previously been on their 40-man roster this season.
McKinney, who made his brief major league debut with the club in 2018, was the pick over outfielders Franchy Cordero (who is on the 40-man) and Estevan Florial (who is not).
The Yankees could have summoned top prospect Oswald Peraza, but they would have been heavy with infielders.
The 28-year-old McKinney hit nine home runs in 160 plate appearances with an .899 OPS with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre while playing all three outfield positions and first base.
“Defensive flexibility, [and he has] been raking for a month and a half now,” manager Aaron Boone said of McKinney. “Really playing well. Kind of earned the opportunity.”
A young McKinney was part of the 2016 trade that also landed Gleyber Torres and Adam Warren from the Cubs for Aroldis Chapman.
McKinney played his first two major league games with the Yankees in 2018, then hurt his left shoulder and wound up on the injured list.
He then was shipped to the Blue Jays in the trade that brought back J.A. Happ.
In the years since, McKinney has bounced from Brewers to the Mets to the Dodgers to the Athletics.
The lefty swinger now will get a second chance with the Yankees, who also have Willie Calhoun and Jake Bauers as fringe, lefty-hitting outfielders.
“We’ll mix and match maybe a little bit more and be a little more matchup-dependent,” Boone said about the Yankees’ offensive attack without Judge.
To create 40-man roster space for McKinney, Ryan Weber was moved to the 60-day injured list.
Weber, the 32-year-old righty, is suffering from a UCL strain. He is not sure about his next step, which could be surgery or rehab. Weber, who has been frequently designated for assignment and brought back by the Yankees, thought he had begun to settle in as a multi-inning reliever. He pitched seven innings and allowed two runs in his past three outings.
“I kind of made myself that long guy or that Swiss Army knife,” Weber said. “The timing of it — [I was] kind of in a groove and then this happens. It’s just bum luck.”