McKay was a two-way player at Louisville as a freshman in 2015, pitching and playing first base.[4][5] McKay pitched in 20 games, making 13 starts. He went 9–3 with a 1.77 ERA, 117 strikeouts and four saves. In 61 games as a first baseman, he hit .308/.418/.431 with four home runs and 34 runs batted in (RBI). Due to his two-way success, he won the John Olerud Award.[6][7] McKay was also named the Baseball America Freshman of the Year.[8] After the 2015 season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[9] As a sophomore, McKay again won the John Olerud Award.[10] As a pitcher, he went 12–4 with a 2.30 ERA and 128 strikeouts and hit .333/.414/.513 with six home runs and 41 RBI as a hitter.
The Tampa Bay Rays selected McKay in the first round, with the fourth overall selection, of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.[17][18] His signing bonus with the Rays for more than $7 million, the second largest signing bonus since constraints were placed on the draft in 2012, behind only Hunter Greene.[19] The Rays announced that they intended for McKay to both hit and pitch in the minors.[20] He was assigned to the Hudson Valley Renegades and spent the whole season there.[21] In 36 games, he batted .232 with four home runs and 22 RBI along with pitching 20 innings, posting a 1.80 ERA with 21 strikeouts.[22] In the 2017 MLB.com midseason prospect update, McKay ranked as the 3rd best prospect in the Tampa Bay Raysfarm system (Brent Honeywell, Willy Adames) and the 23rd best prospect nationally.[23]
McKay began the 2018 season with the Rays' Class A affiliate, the Bowling Green Hot Rods, and was subsequently promoted to the Advanced A Charlotte Stone Crabs, where he both pitched and played first base.[24] In 21 games for Bowling Green, he hit .254 with one home run and 16 RBIs along with posting a 2–0 record with a 1.09 ERA in six starts. In 32 games for Charlotte, McKay batted .210 with five home runs and 21 RBIs and in 11 games (nine starts) on the mound, he went 3–2 with a 3.21 ERA.[25][26]
For the 2019 season, McKay was assigned to the Montgomery Biscuits.[27] He went 3–0 with a 1.30 ERA in eight appearances (seven starts) with 62 strikeouts in 422⁄3 innings while batting .167 with one home run and seven RBIs with Montgomery before being promoted to the Triple-ADurham Bulls.[28] McKay was named to the 2019 All-Star Futures Game.[29]
Major leagues
On June 28, 2019, the Rays selected McKay's contract and promoted him to the major leagues.[30] In his major league debut against the Texas Rangers the next day, McKay took a perfect game into the sixth inning. He pitched six innings in the process allowing two base runners.[31] He made his debut as a batter on July 1 against the Baltimore Orioles, going 0-for-4 as the Rays' designated hitter.[32] He was sent down to Triple–A over the All-Star break but recalled on July 13, 2019, as the 26th man during a double header against the Orioles.[33] McKay hit his first Major League home run against Trevor Kelley of the Boston Red Sox on September 22.
McKay missed the beginning of the 2020 season after testing positive for COVID-19. He began working out again on August 11, but was shut down soon after with shoulder tightness.[34] On August 18, the Rays announced McKay required left shoulder surgery and would miss the entire 2020 season.[35] McKay returned in 2021, starting seven games as a pitcher, three with the rookie-level Florida Complex League Rays and four with the Durham Bulls.[36] Overall, he had a 7.82 ERA while striking out 13 batters in 12+2⁄3 innings.[36] On November 23, 2021, McKay underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS).[37]
McKay underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2022, after suffering a UCL injury while pitching with the Bulls in July. On November 10, 2022, McKay was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to Triple–A Durham.[38] The Rays released him on November 14,[39] but re-signed him to a two-year minor league deal on December 15, 2022.[40]
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