Ke’Bryan Hayes gave the Reds exactly the kind of rehab night that turns heads.
The third baseman, who has been sidelined with a back injury since May 22 because of a bulging disc, delivered a loud performance Wednesday night for Triple-A Louisville. Hayes went 4-for-5 with two singles, a double and a long home run, continuing his return to game action after spending time at the Reds complex in Arizona and then starting his rehab assignment on July 3 with High-A Dayton.
His path back has been gradual. Hayes played two games with the Dayton Dragons, going 1-for-6 on Friday and Saturday, then moved up to Louisville this week. He was 1-for-4 on Tuesday night before breaking out in a big way Wednesday.
Not all of the contact was equal, either. Three of his four hits were struck hard, while the other single was a blooper that dropped into just the right spot.
His home run left the bat at 105 MPH and traveled 412 feet. The double came off at 100 MPH, his harder-hit single was 93 MPH, and even the out he made was a 94 MPH ball off the bat.
The 412-foot shot was not the longest homer of Hayes’ career. That still belongs to a 440-foot blast he hit on April 15, 2023 against the St.
Louis Cardinals. But it was his longest homer since June 10 of last season, and the second-farthest ball he has hit since the start of 2024.
Through four rehab games, Hayes is now 6-for-15 with two doubles and a home run. He has not walked, and he has not struck out.
The rehab work comes after a rough opening stretch at the plate this season. Hayes hit just .142/.195/.225 in his first 44 games, which led him and the Reds to decide his back needed time and treatment in hopes of getting him back to a better level offensively. How long he’ll remain on the rehab assignment before the Reds bring him back up has not been made public.
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