Billy McKinney boarded the plane to Oakland with nearly all of his belongings.
He had cleaned up and cleared out his hotel room and has learned, through 11 skilled seasons, that he has to pack light.
On the bottom paths, in the sector and on the planet, he must be agile.
He signaled to his luggage within the clubhouse Sunday because the Yankees prepared to move to the airport.
His life “is all here,” said the Yankees’ outfielder, who is also bringing a hot bat on the road trip.
The journeyman, second-time Yankee has emerged as perhaps the biggest nice surprise of the club’s season, filling Aaron Judge’s cleats admirably.
McKinney was called up June 7, when Judge officially hit the injured list, and has been the Yankees’ best position player since.
The 28-year-old has reached base in 15 of 16 games, clubbed 4 home runs and played all three outfield spots well for a team that has had issues with its outfield defense.
This weekend, manager Aaron Boone flatly said he “didn’t” see this type of production coming when he watched McKinney play in spring training.
The A’s, whom the Yankees will play starting Tuesday, likely didn’t either after McKinney went 5-for-52 (.096) in 23 games last 12 months with Oakland before getting demoted.
What’s the difference between the player who couldn’t take off last season and who has hit straight away this 12 months?
“It’s an excellent query. I’ve tried to give it some thought,” said McKinney, who believes the change is an element mental and part physical. “I’m just attempting to stay within the moment and probably not fret and get frustrated. That is the large leagues. Guys are good. You’re going to get out. I wish you would get successful each time.
“But I feel like if I used to be struggling, I’d let it weigh on me. … [Now] I attempt to throw it out as quick as I can, just so I can get on and deal with my next at-bat.”
It helps that he has not needed to throw out too many at-bats.
Since Judge went down on June 3, McKinney’s OPS (.950) is 195 points higher than the next-closest Yankee (Willie Calhoun at .755).
He has led the team in homers, batting average (.302), hits (16) and RBIs (seven).
With six different major league clubs in a six-year profession, McKinney’s bat has never fully come around.
His hot streak has brought his lifetime average as much as .213 and OPS to .684.
He said there have been small tweaks which have enabled what he hopes to be a breakthrough, though the swing adjustments have been continuous.
“Just really attempting to see the ball higher and entering into an excellent position,” McKinney said. “I’m not attempting to jump out towards the ball. I’m attempting to stay behind it. In order that sort of helps slightly bit to see slightly higher.”
Is McKinney closer to Matt Carpenter, a lefty-swinging threat who catches fire and becomes a major piece?
Or closer to Franchy Cordero, whom the Yankees ride for a short time until the embers extinguish?
He and the Yankees are very much open to the nice times lasting.
McKinney said his life has been spent in hotels since 2018 or ’19, and he immediately realized how briskly things can change in baseball.
He was a first-round pick of the Athletics in 2013 but was traded the next season to the Cubs.
He made it to Double-A before he got here to the Yankees with Gleyber Torres within the trade that sent Aroldis Chapman to the eventual World Series champs in ’16.
He debuted with the Yankees and played two games in ‘18 before he hurt his shoulder, then was shipped to Toronto within the J.A. Happ trade.
After the Blue Jays got here stints with the Brewers, Mets — a member of the 2021 club’s bench mob — Dodgers, A’s and back to the Yankees.
McKinney was just 19 when he was traded for the primary time, and he remembers getting a nosebleed on the option to the airport because he was so stressed.
Nine years later, he packed up his life, brought it to Yankee Stadium on Sunday and was able to head west for a series and whatever comes next.
But when that is for real, the journeyman is “absolutely” hoping he has found a house with the Yankees.
“That’s the goal,” McKinney said.
