BREAKING: Padres sign OF Austin Hays
Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
In need of extra bodies and depth with multiple players out, the Padres found more depth in the form of a recently released former all-star.
It’s being reported, first by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and later by others, that the San Diego Padres have signed OF Austin Hays to a major league deal.
The Padres immediately put him on the 26-man roster.
Hays will immediately provide depth and coverage at the corner outfield spots and may spell Luis Rengifo, who started hot but has cooled off in recent games.
Hays began the season with the Chicago White Sox, who signed him to a one-year/$6 million deal in the offseason.
Unfortunately, Hays was injured repeatedly with calf and ankle injuries.
When healthy was unable to capture his previous form. He hit only .233 in 12 games with a single home run and seven RBIs with Chicago; this is a far cry from his previous time in Baltimore, where he spent the majority of his career and was an all-star in 2023. With the Reds and Phillies, Hays was a league-average corner outfielder.
Austin Hays is known to be a solid performer against left-handed pitchers, something the Padres struggled with all year. He has put up a 282/.339/.477 line and a 123 wRC+ in 820 plate appearances over his career against southpaws.
At the very least, he gives extra support while Miguel Andujar is on the IL and coming back from a wrist injury, while providing depth for Tatis and others.
No corresponding roster move is known yet.
A Native San Diegan, Loren has spent his entire life not only as a fan but an active participant in San Diego’s sports world. In 2006 Loren joined two other die hard Charger fans to create Bolttalk, where Loren was a co-host and regular columnist from 2006 until the Chargers left in 2017. After that he started another podcast, The Grid Podshow, from 2020-2021 with his former co-host and colleague, speaking about the local sports community and popular culture.
When he’s not giving his opinion about San Diego sports, Loren is an adjunct professor at San Diego State and an attorney.