The Brewers designated outfielder Billy McKinney for assignment and optioned infielder/outfielder Pablo Reyes to Triple-A. The moves created roster space for Willy Adames and Trevor Richards, both acquired in Friday’s trade with the Rays. Righty Alec Bettinger was also called up from Triple-A.
McKinney was initially seen a possible DFA candidate during spring training since he is out of options and the Brewers ostensibly had a crowded outfield, but several injuries resulted in McKinney receiving quite a bit of playing time. McKinney appeared in 40 games and hit .207/.260/.359 over 100 plate appearances, mostly working as a left fielder but also seeing action in nine games as a first baseman.
Once a top-100 prospect, McKinney is still just 26, and he has played for five different organizations. Considering his value as a bench player, it’s quite possible another team plucks him off the DFA wire. Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said as much to reporters, including MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy, noting that “Billy did a nice job for us, and he’s probably going to be tough to keep moving forward here. He’s got a good chance to get claimed [off waivers] probably.“
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