The Los Angeles Dodgers officially added Billy McKinney to their active roster and optioned Zach Reks to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday.
McKinney joins the Dodgers one day after they acquired him from the New York Mets in a trade for Minor League outfielder Carlos Rincon. The Mets designated McKinney for assignment late last week.
The Dodgers did such with Jake Reed in order to initially add the outfielder to their 40-man roster. L.A. now has a week to trade Reed if he is claimed off waivers, or potentially send him outright to Oklahoma City if he clears.
McKinney is out of Minor League options and will need to be kept on the active roster or exposed to waivers.
McKinney was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the first round of the 2013 MLB Draft, but made his debut with the New York Yankees five years later. The 26-year-old began this season with the Milwaukee Brewers before being traded to the Mets on May 26.
Between the two teams he hit .213/.282/.415 with eight home runs. Over parts of four seasons in the Majors, McKinney is a career .225/.288/.430 batter with a 91 wRC+.
Reks returns to Oklahoma City after a third stint up with the Dodgers. He’s gone hitless with seven strikeouts in 10 at-bats across six games thus far.
Reks has fared much better with OKC, batting .325/.421/.595 17 doubles, nine home runs and 31 RBI. Along with the likes of DJ Peters, Sheldon Neuse and Luke Raley, Reks has been among the players the Dodgers have needed to fill in because of injuries.
Dodgers roster outlook
McKinney joins a group of Dodgers position players that continues to deal with injuries. Mookie Betts is now a candidate to go on the 10-day injured list because of lingering right hip irritation.
The Dodgers hope to soon activate Corey Seager off the 60-day IL, but a potential date for his return remains unclear.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and more!
