Ke'Bryan

Hayes

Hayes was hoping to return this month after going on the IL on Aug. 19, but he’s run out of time now. There’s no talk of surgery on his back, but he hopes to be able to better manage his condition going forward. The 27-year-old struggled in 96 games this season, hitting .233/.283/.290 and playing significantly worse defense than usual. It’s possible he’ll surprise next year and get back to playing like he did in the second half of 2023, but it doesn’t really seem like something to bet on at this point.

Hayes finally provided some confirmation that he’s been dealing with back issues all season. It seemed like a safe assumption after he did miss time early on, especially with the way his defense has declined along with his offense. There’s been no indication yet whether he’ll attempt a return next month or if he might undergo surgery. With Hayes out, the Pirates will likely play Jared Triolo regularly for now. Nick Gonzales could return from a groin injury next week and take over at second, with Isiah Kiner-Falefa moving to third.

After rallying to tie the game in the ninth inning, the Pirates pushed across four runs in the top half of the 10th inning to surge past the Diamondbacks, with Hayes’ two-run knock off of Bryce Jarvis capping off their scoring. That would be his only hit in five at-bats on the day. For the season, the 27-year-old is now slashing .241/.291/.300 with three homers, 23 RBI and eight stolen bases through his first 80 games.

Hayes factored into both of the Pirates’ two-run rallies in this one. He led off the fifth inning with a single and scored the Bucs’ first run on an RBI knock off the bat of Jared Triolo. He then picked up an RBI of his own with a run-scoring single off of Jonathan Cannon in the sixth inning. With his two-hit attack, Hayes is now hitting .234/.289/.299 with three homers, 21 RBI and eight stolen bases on the season.

It’s a routine day off for the third baseman, who has been struggling to provide fantasy value apart from speed. Since June 1st, Hayes is hitting .220/.248/.284 with two home runs, nine runs, and eight RBI in 28 games. However, he does have seven steals over that timeframe, so he remains an option in deeper formats if you need speed. We have still not seen the breakout many were hoping for, and it’s looking like it might never come. Jared Triolo will start in his place on Monday.

Hayes was the only one to get to Nick Lodolo on the day, hitting a 382-foot shot for his third home run on the season. The 27-year-old has not had the breakout season many were hoping for, but he is hitting .250 with two home runs and four steals in 14 games in June, so he has been putting together decent fantasy value. He makes a lot of contact and is likely headed to his third straight double-digit stolen base season, but the power may never develop with any consistency.

Hayes will get Sunday off as the Pirates look to sweep the Twins. The 27-year-old takes a seat with Jared Triolo hitting seventh and playing third versus Bailey Ober and Minnesota.

Hayes put the exclamation point on a three-run first inning for the Pirates with his 404-foot (107.8 mph EV) two-run blast off of Yusei Kikuchi. That would be more than enough run support for Mitch Keller and company in this one. Hayes also led off the sixth inning with a single and scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Jared Triolo. For the season, the 27-year-old third baseman is now slashing .245/.323/.338 with a pair of homers and 14 RBI.

Hayes returns after missing three weeks with inflammation in his back. The 27-year-old hasn’t been successful in 2024, when healthy, with a pedestrian .640 OPS. However, he was a solid option in 2023 with enough talent to suggest as a speculative add for those who need help in the corner infield.

Hayes was shipped to the injured list last weekend with back inflammation, but it sounds like he’s going to make it back to Pittsburgh in short order. He’s expected to resume fielding and hitting early next week and might not require a rehab assignment before returning.