Yet another injury has hit the Yankees, Billy McKinney is going to the DL and Miguel Andujar will take his place in the bigs.
After just two big league games, Billy McKinney is heading to the DL. In the first inning of Saturday’s game, McKinney slammed hard into the left-field wall while tracking down a Josh Donaldson double.
McKinney went down hard and quickly, and was visited in the outfield by Aaron Boone and Steve Donahue. He stayed in the game, but on the ensuing play, he winced in pain after throwing the ball, and was replaced by Brett Gardner immediately.
Taking his place on the roster, will be Yankee prospect Miguel Andujar. For Andujar, this is an opportunity that he thought he may have gotten to start the season, but the Brandon Drury acquisition pushed his timeline back.
Although it comes at the hands of an injury, this is a good time for Andujar to prove to the Yankees he’s ready for the show.
For the Yankees, this is yet another hit to their outfield depth. McKinney joins Aaron Hicks, Clint Frazier, and Jacoby Ellsbury on the DL. This leaves them with Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner, and Giancarlo Stanton as the outfielders on the team.
Tyler Wade will now be an outfield candidate, while Andjuar figures to possibly see time at third, first, or DH.
In seven at-bats in the majors last season, Andujar batted .571/.625/.857 with four RBIs and two extra-base hits. Impressive numbers for such a small sample size.
It is likely that once Jacoby Ellsbury returns from the disabled list, Andujar will be sent back down to Triple-A and Ellsbury will take his roster spot. So, don’t expect the third baseman to be up in the major leagues for too long.
Stay tuned to Unhinged Yankees for more information regarding the situation.