CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati Reds outfielder Austin Hays was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain on Wednesday.
The move is retroactive to March 24 and comes a day before the Reds open the season at home against the San Francisco Giants.
“He had a scan today and it’s a very low grade (strain),” manager Terry Francona said. “But because of his history, he tried to play through this last year and it got him into some trouble. So we’ve got to nip this in the bud. He’s not sure when he did it.”
Francona said it’s possible that Hays could only miss six games, but he wanted to remain cautious.
The Reds signed Hays on Jan. 30 to a one-year, $5 million contract.
Last season, Hays was sidelined from April 21 to May 13 with a left calf strain. He strained his left hamstring in August, then in September missed three weeks with a kidney infection.
Hays, an AL All-Star in 2023 while with the Baltimore Orioles, returned for the postseason but went hitless with three strikeouts in four at-bats for the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS against the Mets.
He played only 85 combined games last season for the Orioles and the Phillies, and batted .255 with five home runs and 20 RBIs.
Photo: Cincinnati Reds’ Austin Hays (12) stretches prior to a spring training baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Monday, March 17, 2025, in Goodyear, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
