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Dateline: 318 kilometers from the Gulf of Mexico
A year ago, Austin Hays didn't feel right. He knew something was wrong but the symptoms resided for a while.
“I was fine for the first three weeks of camp (with the Baltimore Orioles), last year,” Hays said. “Then I got really sick and lost 10 pounds. I knew something was wrong at that point but after that sickness when I came back I thought I was better. I didn’t have any indication following that sickness. I thought I was better.”
He wasn’t better. He started to feel it in his legs later in the season. After hitting .255 with 13 doubles and three home runs in 63 games, Hays was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on July 26 for Seranthony Dominguez and Christian Pache. It is with the Phillies that the infection surfaced. Hays played in 22 games with the Philadelphia hitting .256 with five doubles and two home runs.
The Phillies placed him on the 10-day injured list. The sickness hit him soon after Hays was sidelined with a strained hamstring.
“My legs were shaking,” Hays told reporters at the time.
Hays went to a specialist in Philadelphia. “He told me that it is rare for someone who is 29,” Hays said.
It was not something to take lightly, Hays was told. He risked permanent kidney damage if he didn’t shut down.
The Phillies granted Hays free agency in November. The Reds signed him as a free agent on January 30, 2025 just two weeks before spring training commenced.
“What he went through just talking to him, must have been a really tough thing,” Krall said. “The guy was an All-Star two years ago. He has a chance to be an every day outfielder. We are hoping that he could get back to that form and contribute to this lineup. He is looking at this as a huge blip in his career. He is excited to come here and get going.”
According to Krall, Hays wasn’t running as well last year and tried to play through the infection.
“When he went to the emergency room last year, the doctors told him they were surprised he wasn’t there in a wheelchair,” Krall said.
The Reds put him through an intensive physical before finalizing the trade.
The Reds gamble appears to be paying off as Hays has hit the ball hard all spring, playing mostly left field.
As of March 8, Hays is hitting .313 in 16 at bats with a double, a triple and two home runs. He had three extra base hits, including a three-run home run on February 24 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He drove in six of his seven runs to date in that game.
“It’s been really good in camp. I like all the guys. I feel healthy and strong,” Hays said. “My bat feels really good right now. It’s been really good.”
Hays may have sand bagged a bit because his manager Terry Francona had stronger words for his performance to date.
“He’s been fantastic,” Francona said. “We’re thrilled he’s here. When he first came here he felt he had a lot to prove. When he squares it up, the ball comes off his bat a little differently. Like, it’s pretty loud and he’s a great kid. I think he can help us a bunch.”
Well how can he help an outfield of incumbents, Jake Fraley, TJ Friedl, Stuart Fairchild and Will Benson?
He’s a right handed bat that will balance the Reds’ lineup.
For his career Hays has 1,386 at bats against right handed pitchers, slashing .254/.304/.415 with 80 doubles, four triples and 45 home runs, The native of Daytona Beach, Florida and alumnus of Jacksonville University, has half as many at bats against left handers with 642 but has higher slash line at .277/.331/.469 with 46 doubles, four triples and 23 home runs.
Fraley, who has missed a lot of time the last two seasons with injuries, has 980 at bats against right handers with a .264/.347/.440 slash line. Fraley hit 52 doubles, two triples and 38 home runs against righties. As for lefty pitching Fraley has 202 at bats with a .173/.266/.238 slash line with four doubles and three home runs.
Last season the right handed option was Fairchild, who has .248/.346/.409 in 254 at bats against lefties with 10 doubles, two triples and nine home runs over his career. Fairchild has 286 at bats against right handed pitchers with a .203/.274/.371 with 19 doubles, a triple and nine home runs.
Hays hits right handed pitching as well if not better than the other two options.
With Steer’s aching right shoulder, his left field days could be limited, making Hays’ presence that much more important.
Hays can also prevent runs.
Defensively, Hays is better than adequate. He has played all three outfield positions but has more reps at the corners. Hays has played more left field but has significant experience in right field. He has a strong, accurate arm. Hays ranked fifth in the American League with four assists in 2021 as a left fielder. He didn’t make an error in 2023 and is second among active players with a .994 fielding percentage.
“He’s played the majority in left field but we are going to work him into both corners in spring training,” Reds president of baseball operations, Nick Krall said.
Through March 8, Hays has played left field exclusively. In the game against the Diamondbacks, Hays had two singles and drove in two runs. He left the game with a .368 average, a 1,242 OPS and nine RBI.
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