Ke'Bryan

Hayes

Hayes also had a 106.4-mph liner to left turn into an out and then a double play, because Oneil Cruz just assumed something hit that hard to the outfield was going to drop. Hayes is batting .300 over his last 16 games, though that comes with just two extra-base hits and two walks. He’s at .239/.292/.293 overall.

Hayes will get a day of rest against the Brew Crew with Jared Triolo handling third-base duties and hitting seventh.

Hayes came into the game hitting .235 in June with a 12/1 K/BB ratio, so this was a nice game for him. He does have three steals in June, which is good for fantasy leagues, but the power has never developed, and the counting stats continue to be lacking while hitting near the bottom of the Pirates’ lineup. He’s not a fantasy option outside of the deepest formats.

The 416-foot shot off Ronny Henriquez was the farthest Hayes has hit a ball since 2023. While Hayes has been one of the game’s weakest hitters the last two years — probably the result of chronic back woes — he’s still just fine in terms of exit velocity. It’s just that way too much of his hard contact comes on the ground or in the air to the opposite field.

The 28-year-old defensive wizard continues to struggle offensively, slashing a cringe-inducing .224/.286/.274 with one homer, 18 RBI, six stolen bases and a 46/15 K/BB ratio across 239 plate appearances on the season. Jared Triolo will start in his place at the hot corner and will bat eighth against Joe Ross and the Phillies on Friday evening in Pittsburgh.

Hayes is still owed $36 million over four more seasons, while Reynolds is owed $76 million over five more years. Neither contract is too pricey for a contender to take on. Even though Hayes hasn’t broken out like many people expected, he makes only $7 million per season and still plays strong defense at third base. That could entice a team like the Yankees, who could shift Jazz Chisholm back to second base. Similarly, $15 million per year for Reynolds is not a steep price to pay, especially since the 30-year-old has started to turn it around of late. Given their years of control remaining, some team would need to part with some prospects of note to land either player.

Hayes scored half the runs in the entire game and is now 17-for-68 (.250) in May with just four runs scored and two RBI. Nobody is doing much on the Pirates’ offense, so it’s hard to roster any hitters in fantasy leagues. Perhaps Hayes can find a new home at the trade deadline that would boost his fantasy stock. The Yankees could use a third baseman, so that could be something to fantasize about.

Hayes has had a solid month, going 24-for-79 (.304) with hits in 17 of 20 games since April 19th. He hasn’t been hitting for any power and has scored only one run in that span despite hitting mostly leadoff for the Pirates, so therein lies the issue with his fantasy value. Still, that batting average and four steals on the season can be worthwhile in deeper formats.

Hayes looked like he was poised to be the hero in this one, as he broke a scoreless tie with a two-out RBI double off of Matthew Liberatore in the sixth inning. That would be the Pirates’ lone run in the contest though and that lead would evaporate before the inning was through. Hayes has been swinging a hot bat in the middle of the Pirates’ lineup — albeit without power — as he’s slashing .254/.307/.315 with one homer, 14 RBI and three stolen bases.

Hayes is now up to .254/.311/.311 on the season while hitting in the middle of the order for the Pirates almost every day. There has been no power to speak of, but he does continue to try and run, which can help him create some fantasy value in deeper formats.