Categories: News

Outfielder Austin Hays to sign with Reds, per report

Austin Hays will sign with the Reds. (Grace Del Pizzo/Phillies Nation)

Outfielder Austin Hays, the Phillies’ trade deadline acquisition this past summer who struggled to ever find a footing in Philadelphia as he dealt with injury and a kidney infection, has agreed to a deal with the Cincinnati Reds, according to a Tuesday report from The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal. Hays will sign a one-year contract worth $5 million with $1 million in incentives.

The deal is pending a physical, per Rosenthal.

Hays, 29, is a seven-year major-league veteran and a former All-Star with a career .745 OPS and 68 home runs in 579 games. He fell out of favor in Baltimore in 2024 amid a crowded outfield after spending the start of his career with the Orioles and was acquired by the Phillies in July in exchange for reliever Seranthony Domínguez and outfielder Cristian Pache.

While Hays has been much better against left-handed pitching throughout his career, the Phillies said at the time of the trade that they believed he could be an everyday player in left field. The idea was for Hays to add some right-handed production to the lineup with Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas splitting time in center field. That never materialized as Hays had just a .672 OPS in only 22 games in red pinstripes while he navigated his difficult health situation.

Hays first missed two weeks in August with a left hamstring strain, then missed three weeks in September with the kidney infection. He returned for the final week of the regular season and hit a home run in his last game, but Hays was still not quite at full strength. He went 0-for-4 in two games in the National League Division Series versus the Mets, and the Phillies started Weston Wilson over him against lefty Jose Quintana in the deciding Game 4.

Hays was non-tendered by Philadelphia after the season. The Reds will now provide him with a fresh start and a new opportunity following a disappointing, difficult stint with the Phillies.

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Ty Daubert

Ty is a writer for Phillies Nation, covering the minor-league system and Phillies news.

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