McKay clubs first pro homer for Renegades

Prior to his debut with Class A Short Season Hudson Valley on Sunday, Brendan McKay hadn't played since June 22. He went deep in his final college game for the University of Louisville.  
The Rays infield prospect admitted that the layoff had taken a toll, but he's starting to shake off some of that rust.
The No. 4 overall pick in June's First-Year Player Draft went deep, notching his first professional RBI in the Renegades' 9-2 win over the Staten Island Yankees at Richmond County Bank Ballpark. McKay also had a single in his second consecutive multi-hit game.

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"It's nice to get back to playing and everything. It's just hard trying to get back into whatever roll you had going on before," the 21-year-old said. "Trying to adjust to how things are a little different here in pro ball."
Through his first four games, McKay has four hits in 17 at-bats. He has struck out seven times and walked twice. 
"Just working counts a little bit more or going after strikes that you can do something with rather than wait," he said of his adjustment to professional pitching. "Late in an at-bat ... guys will locate a little bit more, especially with better stuff than you might see in college."

McKay earned the Golden Spikes Award as the nation's top amateur player after batting .341/.457/.659 with 18 homers and 57 RBIs in his junior year with the Cardinals. The Darlington, Pennsylvania native also went 11-3 in 17 starts with a 2.56 ERA and 146 strikeouts over 109 innings to earn the John Olerud Two-Way Player Award for the third year in a row.
The Rays plan to have the left-hander split time as a first baseman or designated hitter on days he doesn't pitch. McKay said he has a bullpen session scheduled Friday and will likely throw about two innings for the Renegades next weekend.
McKay said he and Rays pitching coordinator Dewey Robinson decided on an estimated 30-inning limit for the remainder of the season.

Following Taylor Walls' base hit with one out in the first inning off Staten Island starter Drew Finley, McKay went down swinging on four pitches. Finley retired the first two batters in the third before the lefty-swinging McKay caught hold of the righty's first offering and lifted it over the right-field fence.
"The first at-bat, I took some pitches that I probably could have swung at. I didn't make some quality swings," the 6-foot-2, 212-pounder said. "In the at-bat I hit the home run on, I just jumped on a first-pitch fastball that was up a little bit and I made a good swing."
Leading off the fifth against Finley, McKay lined a single the opposite way to left. Zacrey Law bounced into a forceout to erase McKay, but the Renegades posted five runs to take a 9-0 lead.
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McKay was called out on strikes to start the sixth against right-hander David Palladino and led off the ninth with a groundout to first. 
Vidal Brujan hit his third homer of the season, singled and drove in three runs, while Emilio Gustave had two singles for his third consecutive multi-hit game for Hudson Valley.
Timmy Robinson launched his second homer of the season to account for Staten Island's runs.