Austin

Hays

The oft-injured Hays has been on the IL since May 2 with a calf strain after already missing most of April with a hamstring strain. Fortunately, the White Sox outfield has been just fine without him, and when he returns, it should be as a platoon player against lefties, rather than as a full-timer.

Hays has gone 2-for-10 in his first three games at Triple-A, but both hits have been home runs. The 30-year-old has been sidelined since May 4th with a calf strain after also missing significant time with a hamstring strain. With Sam Antonacci playing well in left field, the White Sox will have a tough choice to make when Hays is ready to return. Likely one of Tristan Peters or Jarred Kelenic will head back to the minors, or the White Sox will choose to designate Randal Grichuk for assignment.

Hays has been snake-bitten by injuries as he heads to the shelf for the second time already this season. The 30-year-old outfielder missed time last month with a hamstring strain. No word yet on the severity of the calf issue, which is likely to keep him out for a couple weeks, even in a best-case scenario.

Hays rejoins Chicago’s outfield mix following a nearly three-week absence recovering from a low-grade right hamstring strain. The 30-year-old veteran was hitting just .219 through nine games to kick off his White Sox debut.

Grade 1 is the best case scenario for a strain. Hays was placed on the 10-day injured list prior to Tuesday’s game, and while he won’t be back after a minimum stint, there’s a good chance that he can be back in the lineup by the end of April or start of May, if there are no setbacks.

Hays exited Monday’s game when he was trying to chase down a bloop single in the outfield. He’ll now land on the IL for a few weeks. The 30-year-old was slashing .219/.242/.344 in nine games with a 12/1 K/BB ratio.

Hays pulled up and was favoring his right leg after trying to corral a bloop single to right field in the fourth inning and immediately left the contest against his former club. There should be an update on his status once he undergoes an MRI to determine the severity of the injury. It certainly seems like a potential injured list situation.

Hays kicked off the scoring by taking Angels starter Alek Manoah deep in the opening frame, hooking a 387-foot blast down the left-field line. The 30-year-old doesn’t offer too much power/speed combo upside at this stage of his career but he’s a strong bet to reach 15 homers with a respectable batting average and a handful of stolen bases for a rebuilding White Sox squad.

Hays usually does his damage against left-handed pitching, but he roped a one-out triple off of Alexis Diaz in the fourth inning of this one and trotted home on LaMonte Wade Jr’s two-run blast. He’ll see the bulk of his starts against southpaws in 2026, making him more of a streaming option for fantasy purposes than an every week starter.

We’re not at all sure a merely competent outfielder was a thing the White Sox already needed with Andrew Benintendi already locked into the lineup, but Hays should be a steady enough presence, even if he is a below average hitter against right-handers. Since he’s potentially more valuable as a fourth outfielder starting against lefties, there’s also the bonus that he could be attractive to contenders at the deadline. Playing for the Reds last year, he hit .266/.315/.453, giving him a 105 OPS+ that’s right in line with his career mark of 106.