The Cincinnati Reds acquired former Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes via trade back on July 30. With the addition of Hayes, the Reds received a high-level defender and a player who can add value at the bottom of the batting order. Will Hayes’ performance over the next month help the Reds make a wild card spot?

Right now, Cincinnati is on the outside looking in on the playoffs. Three wild card teams make the postseason, and the Reds are sitting in that fourth wild card spot, behind the New York Mets. There is still a lot of baseball to be played and anything can happen.

 

 

Ke’Bryan Hayes Is Hunting First Postseason Of Career With Reds 

Throughout his career, Hayes has been a lockdown defender winning a Gold Glove award during the 2023 season. Now in his sixth MLB season, Hayes has a shot of playing in the postseason for the first time in his career.

The Reds were excited about Hayes joining the team.

“He might be the best defender in baseball. If not, he’s right there. He’s that good,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “We’re trying to find ways to get better. Sometimes it might not be the sexiest move, but we care so much about trying to play clean baseball, and this will be a huge step in that direction.”

Ke’Bryan Hayes Batting .275, Slugging .474 In

Since joining the Reds, Hayes had appeared in 23 games and compiled a batting average of ,260 with a .438 slugging percentage. Despite taking a 0-for-4 collar in a shutout loss to the LA Dodgers on Monday, on the field, he has a .979 fielding percentage with 11 putouts, 36 assists, and one error at third base. In all honesty, he’s looking more like the 2023 version of himself; the one who hit 15 homers, drove in 61, and posted a .271 average across 124 games.

“We think there’s a lot of underlying metrics to where he is and what he’s doing offensively to improve and get back to where he was a couple of years ago,” said president of baseball operations Nick Krall. “We’re really excited. It’s not every day you get a chance to get a guy that is an elite defender.

“He hits the ball hard. He’s got good swing decisions. The walks and strikeouts are there, but he doesn’t chase a lot. He doesn’t swing and miss a ton. He’s above average at both. When you look at it, he hits down on the ball a lot, trying to use the opposite field, and maybe we’ll try to get him to lengthen his swing out a little bit and drive the ball like he was two years ago.”

It’s going to be an exciting finish to the season across the league, and the Reds know that every game is crucial. And you better believe that Hayes will go out there and leave it all on the field for his team as he attempts to taste the postseason for the first time.