The White Sox have officially moved on from Austin Hays, ending a short and injury-shortened stint that never really got off the ground. Jeff Agrest of The Sun-Times reported the release on August 7, and it followed the expected path after Chicago designated Hays for assignment on August 5.
Because Hays was DFA’d after the deadline and has more than five years of service time, the outcome was essentially set once the White Sox made the move. He’ll now be free to latch on with another club for the prorated league minimum.
Chicago’s decision came just after Hays finished a minor league rehab assignment tied to a calf strain that had kept him out for months. That left the White Sox with a simple choice: activate him or cut him loose. They chose to cut ties.
Hays, 31, joined the White Sox on a one-year, $6MM contract over the winter, but his season was derailed almost immediately. He appeared in only 12 games before the calf injury hit, and in 44 plate appearances he hit .233/.250/.326 with one homer, one double, one walk and 13 strikeouts.
The former Orioles third-round pick has long carried the profile of a player who could be more than he’s been able to stay on the field for. Injuries have repeatedly interrupted what looked like a promising career in Baltimore, and he’s since settled into a role as a right-handed platoon outfielder. Chicago was his fourth team in the last three seasons.
Waivers may not bring much of a market because of the money still owed - Hays has about $1.7MM left to be paid - but there’s a real chance he ends up on a fifth team once he clears. He’s a career .262/.312/.433 hitter across 2664 big league plate appearances and can technically handle all three outfield spots, though he’s really more of an emergency option in center field now. He hasn’t logged an inning there since 2023.
What keeps Hays interesting is the bat against lefties. He’s been a slightly below-average hitter against right-handers over his career, but he owns a .282/.339/.477 line versus southpaws, good for a 123 wRC+.
The White Sox, meanwhile, found other ways to cover the role they had in mind for him. They added Randal Grichuk in April after the Yankees removed him from their roster, and he’s responded with a .275/.312/.565 line and nine homers in 138 plate appearances. Chicago also brought in center fielder Brenton Doyle in a deadline-day trade with the Rockies, giving the club another right-handed bat who can handle center on a regular basis.
That crowded Hays out of the picture at Guaranteed Rate Field, though his resume should still attract attention from teams looking for a right-handed bat. The Twins, Red Sox, Guardians, Rangers and D-backs were mentioned as speculative fits.
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