The Padres made a late move to shore up their offense on Sunday, agreeing to a major league contract with veteran outfielder Austin Hays, according to multiple published reports.
Hays arrives after being released Friday by the Chicago White Sox, where his time was short and the results were modest. In 12 games with Chicago this season, he hit .233/.250/.326 with one home run and seven RBIs, while striking out 13 times against 10 hits.
For San Diego, the appeal is pretty clear. Hays is a right-handed bat who can fit into the platoon role Jase Bowen has handled since being called up from Triple-A El Paso on June 2. Bowen has struggled to make much of an impact, hitting .151/.195/.219 over 47 games, so Hays doesn’t have to do much to improve that spot.
The 31-year-old has also become more of a corner outfielder in recent years. He spent his early Baltimore days mostly in center, but over the last three big league seasons he has played only left and right field.
Hays’ 2025 season has already been interrupted by injuries. The White Sox signed him in February, but a hamstring injury in April and a calf strain in May slowed him down. Even so, he showed some pop during his rehab stint, launching six homers in 20 games at Triple-A Charlotte.
At his best, Hays has been more than a role player. He paired defense and power during his prime, and in 2021 - his first full season as a regular in the Orioles’ outfield - he belted 22 home runs while hitting .256/.308/.461 for a .769 OPS.
His strongest all-around year came in 2023, when he posted career highs in batting average (.275), on-base percentage (.325) and runs scored (76). That season also brought the only All-Star selection of his nine-year career, though it was his last full year as a starting outfielder.
Hays later signed with the Cincinnati Reds in January 2025 on a one-year, $5 million deal, but injuries to his left calf, left hamstring and left foot limited him to 103 games.
The split numbers still suggest why the Padres are interested. Against right-handed pitchers, Hays has hit .249/.286/.422, but he’s been far more dangerous versus lefties, putting up a .319/.400/.550 line. If San Diego can get that kind of production against southpaws again, this could be a very useful pickup.
That need is real. The Padres are sitting at a .362 slugging percentage against left-handed pitching this season, the fifth-worst mark in MLB. The fit is obvious; the only real question is whether Hays’ health and bat are close enough to where they were in his peak seasons to help right away.
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