Padres Sign Austin Hays To Major League Deal
Key Points:
- The San Diego Padres have officially signed outfielder Austin Hays and optioned utilityman Gage Workman to Triple-A as part of the roster move.
- Hays, a former All-Star with the Orioles, was released by the Chicago White Sox after struggling offensively and dealing with injuries this season.
- Despite recent struggles, Hays has a solid career track record with a .262/.312/.433 line and 84 home runs over 2,664 plate appearances, excelling particularly against left-handed pitchers.
- The Padres hope Hays can improve their weak performance against left-handed pitching, where they rank 27th in OPS and wRC+, especially after losing other key right-handed hitters to injury.
- Hays is expected to become the Padres' starting left fielder against lefties, replacing Luis Rengifo and Jase Bowen, who have had mixed success in that role.