The Rangers re-signed Billy McKinney to a minor league contract, reports Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News. The lefty-hitting outfielder had elected free agency yesterday after going unclaimed on outright waivers.
McKinney was very briefly on the MLB roster. Texas selected his contract last Tuesday when Evan Carter was on bereavement leave. He played twice during Carter’s three days away before being designated for assignment once the younger outfielder returned. McKinney was ripping the ball before his promotion. He hit .295/.433/.487 with 17 walks and 22 strikeouts through 97 plate appearances with Triple-A Round Rock. It’s a marked improvement over his .184/.285/.307 showing with the Mets’ top affiliate earlier in the year.
A former first-round pick and top prospect, McKinney has appeared in parts of eight MLB seasons. Texas is his eighth club, as he has only appeared in more than 50 games for one franchise (the Blue Jays). He’s a career .208/.283/.384 hitter in 951 big league plate appearances. McKinney has logged over 1500 trips to the dish in Triple-A, where he owns a .268/.358/.487 slash line.