Major League Pitchers Chirinos and McKay to Make Rehab Appearances for RiverDogs

The Tampa Bay Rays have announced that Major League pitchers Yonny Chirinos and Brendan McKay will each make a rehab appearance with the Charleston RiverDogs during Tuesday night’s road game in Columbia. Chirinos will start the game and McKay will work out of the bullpen. The rehab appearances will be the first for the RiverDogs since renewing their affiliation with Tampa Bay in 2021.

Chirinos, 28, underwent Tommy John surgery in August of 2020 and missed the entire 2021 season while recovering. He previously made three appearances with the FCL Rays this season, tossing 4.0 scoreless innings.

The native of Venezuela made his Major League debut in 2018. During his first season, he split time between the starting rotation and the bullpen, posting a 5-2 record and 2.83 earned run average. Chirinos played a large role in the 2019 season, making 26 appearances (18 starts) and earning nine wins. The right-hander was off to a solid start to the 2020 season when his campaign was cut short after three starts due to a torn right UCL.

The path to the big leagues for Chirinos included stops in Princeton, Hudson Valley, Bowling Green, Port Charlotte, Montgomery and Durham. In 2017, he was named the Rays Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

McKay, 26, underwent surgery on his left labrum in August of 2020 and thoracic outlet decompression surgery in November of 2021. Prior to joining the RiverDogs, the southpaw worked 2.2 innings over a pair of appearances with the FCL Rays this season.

The Rays drafted McKay in the first round (fourth overall) of the 2017 MLB Draft out of the University of Louisville. With the Cardinals, the Pennsylvania native was a standout two-way player who won both the Dick Howser Trophy and Golden Spikes Award following his final season.

McKay made his MLB debut in June of 2019, retiring the first 16 batters he faced and allowing just one hit over 6.0 scoreless innings against Texas. He made 13 appearances on the mound (11 starts) and combined to post a 2-4 record and 5.15 ERA with 56 strikeouts in 49.0 innings. McKay also started one game as the designated hitter and made three pinch-hit appearances that season. He missed all of the 2020 campaign with injury.

During his time in the Rays Minor League system, McKay was a two-way player in Hudson Valley, Bowling Green, Port Charlotte, Montgomery and Durham. In 47 MiLB games on the mound, he has posted a miniscule 2.19 ERA. At the plate, he has totaled 16 doubles, 15 home runs and 81 runs batted in 141 games.

The RiverDogs open an important series against the Columbia Fireflies on Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. at Segra Park. The teams are tied for second place in the Carolina League South Division standings, a half-game behind first-place Kannapolis.

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