Billy McKinney boarded the plane to Oakland with just about all of his belongings.
He had cleaned up and cleared out his hotel room and has learned, through 11 professional seasons, that he has to pack light.
On the base paths, in the field and in the world, he has to be agile.
He signaled to his luggage in the clubhouse Sunday as the Yankees prepared to head to the airport.
His life “is all here,” said the Yankees’ outfielder, who also is bringing a hot bat on the road trip.
The journeyman, second-time Yankee has emerged as perhaps the largest pleasant 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 four 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 “did not” see this kind of production coming when he watched McKinney play in spring training.
The A’s, whom the Yankees will play beginning Tuesday, likely did not either after McKinney went 5-for-52 (.096) in 23 games last year with Oakland before getting demoted.
What is the difference between the player who could not take off last season and who has hit right away this year?
“It’s a good question. I’ve tried to think about it,” said McKinney, who believes the change is part mental and part physical. “I’m just trying to stay in the moment and not really fret and get frustrated. This is the big leagues. Guys are good. You’re going to get out. I wish you could get a hit every time.
“But I feel like if I was struggling, I’d let it weigh on me. … [Now] I try to throw it out as quick as I can, just so I can get on and focus on my next at-bat.”
It helps that he has not had 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).
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With six different major league clubs in a six-year career, McKinney’s bat has never fully come around.
His hot streak has brought his lifetime average up to .213 and OPS to .684.
He said there have been small tweaks that have enabled what he hopes to be a breakthrough, though the swing adjustments have been continuous.
“Just really trying to see the ball better and getting into a good position,” McKinney said. “I’m not trying to jump out towards the ball. I’m trying to stay behind it. So that kind of helps a little bit to see a little better.”
Is McKinney closer to Matt Carpenter, a lefty-swinging threat who catches fire and becomes a significant piece?
Or closer to Franchy Cordero, whom the Yankees ride for a short while until the embers extinguish?
He and the Yankees are very much open to the good times lasting.
McKinney said his life has been spent in hotels since 2018 or ’19, and he immediately realized how fast things can change in baseball.
He was a first-round pick of the Athletics in 2013 but was traded the following season to the Cubs.
He made it to Double-A before he came to the Yankees with Gleyber Torres in 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 in the J.A. Happ trade.
After the Blue Jays came 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 first time, and he remembers getting a nosebleed on the way 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 ready to head west for a series and whatever comes next.
But if this is for real, the journeyman is “absolutely” hoping he has found a home with the Yankees.
“That’s the goal,” McKinney said.
