Austin

Hays

Hays jumped on a fifth-inning pitch from Zack Wheeler and hit it 377 feet at 100.3 mph for the only hit and run of the game for the Reds. Hays now has eight home runs and 31 RBI on the season and has been really solid when healthy for Cincinnati. He deserves to be rostered in most league types until his next IL stint.

Hays is the league leader with three IL stints, but he’s right up there in OPS, too, having come in at .295/.326/.568 in his 35 games played. He’s driven in 29 runs while mostly serving as the Reds’ cleanup man, and he seems worth using in mixed leagues right now.

Hays returned from the injured list on Friday, going 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI. This is likely their way of just easing him back into a full-time role. Rece Hinds will start in his place in right field and bat seventh for the Reds against Randy Vasquez and the Padres on Saturday afternoon in Cincinnati.

Hays is back after missing close to a month with a contusion on his left foot. He’ll likely be in the lineup for the Reds as a corner outfielder on a relatively regular basis.

Hays underwent additional imaging due to persistent pain in his left foot, so it’s an encouraging sign that he isn’t dealing with anything more serious than a deep bone bruise. The 29-year-old outfielder told reporters earlier this week that he was close to returning to Cincinnati’s lineup, but that seems unlikely given this latest development.

Hays thinks he’ll be back before the end of the current series against the Guardians. Connor Joe could be sent down to make room for him. Will Benson and Spencer Steer might both be in line to lose some playing time.

A third IL stint already. Hays still has an excellent season line of .303/.346/.555 after his hot start in his first weeks back from the IL in mid-April, but he’d been just average of late, hitting .254/.278/.433 in 72 appearances since returning from the IL for a second time earlier this month. Jake Fraley was activated in his place today and will take over for him against right-handers. Against lefties, the Reds will probably put Tyler Stephenson at DH and have Jose Trevino catch.

Hays is now hitting .324 with 24 RBI on the season after starting the year on the injured list. He hits cleanup for the Reds every day and should remain a solid fantasy option this year for as long as he stays healthy.

Even though his OPS has been tumbling, Hays has driven in runs in five of the last six games while batting cleanup for the Reds. The three-hit game was his second of the year; he had four hits in the 24-2 thrashing of the Orioles on April 20.

It’s a routine day off for Hays as the Reds manage his workload shortly after coming off the injured list. The 29-year-old outfielder went 1-for-4 on Friday in his return to Cincinnati’s lineup following a nearly two-week absence recovering from a hamstring strain.