Report: Rays to promote top prospect McKay


The Tampa Bay Rays will promote two-way prospect Brendan McKay to take the mound at home against the Texas Rangers on Saturday, according to a report Thursday night from the Tampa Bay Times.

McKay, ranked among the top 25 prospects in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline, was the No. 4 pick in the 2017 draft out of Louisville. The left-hander has also split time as a designated hitter — similar to the Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani — during his minor league career.

On the mound, McKay is 6-0 with a 1.22 ERA in 13 games (11 starts) between Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham this season. He has punched out 88 batters in 66 2/3 innings.

At the plate, the 23-year-old is hitting .205 with four home runs and 18 RBIs in 127 at-bats between the two levels.

When the Rays drafted McKay, they made clear their intention to let him both hit and pitch in the minors. Whether that translates to the majors, however, remains to be seen.

The report of his promotion comes on the heels of the Rays beating the Minnesota Twins in a marathon, 18-inning game in which they sent nine pitchers to the mound, so the southpaw’s stay could consist of just a spot start.

Despite the win over the Twins, the Rays have been reeling of late, losing seven of their past 10 games.