The Pirates have been two completely different teams over the first two months of the season. But there won’t be a proper barometer for how pleasantly surprising, like they were in April, or how expectedly disappointing, like they were in May, this team truly is without its best player: Ke’Bryan Hayes.
The 24-year-old has been down with a left wrist and hand strain since the second game of the season. But as the team opens a three-game series against the Marlins and a former "future of the franchise" in Starling Marte at PNC Park on Thursday night, two months to the day since his last game with the Pirates, Hayes is back in the lineup.
“We're happy to have him back,” Derek Shelton said. “He's an important part of what we're doing.”
There were a lot of video games and Netflix on the docket for Hayes since he homered in his first at-bat of the season at Wrigley Field. He suffered the injury in the following game, and in his first media availability since opening day, he described a jolt of pain he felt after fouling back a 2-1 sinker up and above the zone.
He immediately felt the shot of pain between his middle and ring fingers, the top of his hand and all through his wrist. It was actually a familiar sensation. One he’d felt two seasons prior. Only, this was much more serious.
“After I went back out on defense, I was still feeling it,” Hayes said. “Then I went back in the cage to try to swing, and I couldn’t even swing like 10% of my swings, so I knew something was kind of messed up.”
Hayes fought through an aggravation of the injury during a batting practice session during a snowy day in Detroit at the end of April, was transferred to the 60-day IL and played in seven rehab games with Class AAA Indianapolis in order to come back on his first day of eligibility.
There was no extra time spent on the sidelines. His extended hiatus was not the result of anything circumstantial involving other injuries or roster moves. Hayes had had much cage work and was still feeling jolts of pain here and there when he’d foul off pitches up in the zone. But he was able to map out a plan when he was transferred two weeks ago. And he’s experienced those same swings without pain.
“Just over time, letting it heal a little more and then eventually, it got to the point where I wasn’t feeling anything anymore, so then we started back ramping up again,” Hayes said.
Getting Hayes healthy was the first priority. That was the case from the jump. But his return is invaluable to a team that’s near the bottom in almost every offensive category, including being dead last in MLB with 37 total homers and a .349 team slugging percentage.
Although it’s been unfortunately disjointed, Hayes has had a better start to an MLB career than most. In just 90 at-bats, he carries a 1.103 OPS with 15 extra-base hits and 13 RBIs.
Throughout the spring and on opening day, Hayes has hit in the No. 2 spot in the lineup, in between Adam Frazier and Bryan Reynolds, who are among the few members of this lineup that have not mostly struggled through the early part of this season. His return lengthens the lineup and allows some of the traditional role players, like Wilmer Difo and Erik Gonzalez, who have been a bit exposed with regular playing time, to get back into a role in which they’re better suited -- although the third-base defense has not been very far off Hayes’ elite level.
But in his absence, Hayes proved to be an inquisitive observer, constantly locked into the game.
“Whenever you’re watching, whenever you’re there on the bench, you kind of see everything -- defense, the other team’s offense, your offense,” Hayes said. “You really get to see what pitchers are trying to do to their guys, what their pitchers are trying to do to our guys and vice versa.”
The Pirates are still missing Colin Moran, who is still tied for second on the club with 19 RBIs despite being out since May 9. But he’s currently on a rehab assignment with Phillip Evans in Class AAA Indianapolis. Hayes’ return was paramount, but Moran and Evans coming back will more or less put this team at full strength for the first time all season.
If there was ever going to be a return to those pleasantly surprising days in April, having Hayes’ name back in the lineup was a mandatory first step.
