Ke'Bryan Hayes, Jack Suwinski On The Bench On Sunday
Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes and outfielder Jack Suwinski will start Sunday's series finale against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds on the bench. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will start at third base and hit seventh against Reds right-hander Hunter Greene. Oneil Cruz (finger) is back in center field for the series finale. Adam Frazier is starting in left field and batting sixth and Alexander Canario is in right field and in the five-hole. Bryan has gotten off to another slow start in 2025, going 11-for-52 (.212) with a homer, five RBI, two steals and 10 strikeouts in his first 15 games. The 28-year-old went hitless in six at-bats with three K's in the first two games of the series against Cincy. Canario and Frazier have never faced Greene, while Kiner-Falefa is hitless in just two career at-bats against him. Neither player will be all that attractive as a DFS sleeper.
Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes is not in the starting lineup on Sunday for the series finale at loanDepot Park against the Miami Marlins. Jared Triolo will make the start at the hot corner and will bat seventh against Marlins right-hander Max Meyer. Through the first three games of the 2025 season, Hayes, who had a disastrous 2024 campaign that ended early due to injury, has gone 2-for-13 with two stolen bases and two runs scored for the Bucs. If the 28-year-old doesn't show any improvement with his bat in the early going this year, there's a chance that Triolo could steal more and more playing time from him at third base. Triolo, meanwhile, comes into Sunday's finale having played in just one game while going hitless in his four at-bats with one strikeout. He has never faced Meyer in his career.
Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (side) is starting on Saturday afternoon. Hayes will cover the hot corner and bat at the top of the lineup. Hayes has been held out of action since the first week of the month due to left side tightness. Fantasy managers should continue monitoring his status, but seeing him return to the lineup suggests he will not be in danger of missing Opening Day. The 28-year-old is expected to be Pittsburgh's everyday third baseman. Last season, the former 32nd-overall selection posted a .233/.283/.290 line with four home runs and 11 stolen bases. He generated a low .279 xwOBA but showed a strong eye at the plate as he held an 18.9 percent strikeout rate. Hayes is known for being an elite defender which will keep him in the starting lineup. Fantasy managers should view Hayes as a depth corner infielder in deeper formats.
Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (side) has resumed full baseball activities. Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk noted, "We envision him being available for game activity in the coming days as well." Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status but should expect him to return to the starting lineup very soon. Hayes has been dealing with left side tightness over the past two weeks. When healthy, he should have an everyday role as the starting third baseman. Last season, the former 32nd-overall pick held a .233/.283/.290 line with four home runs and 11 stolen bases. He generated a weak .279 xwOBA but showed a strong eye at the plate as he held an 18.9 percent strikeout rate. Fantasy managers should view him as a depth corner infield option that has more value in points leagues given his low strikeout rate.
Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (side) is dealing with "left side tightness." He has not been in a spring contest since March 5. However, Hayes was seen taking ground balls on Monday and is expected to step in the batter's cage on Tuesday. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status as a setback could put him in danger of missing Opening Day. Last season, the 28-year-old had his campaign cut short due to a back injury. Across 96 games, Hayes held a .233/.283/.290 slash line with nine doubles and four home runs. He generated a weak .279 xwOBA and a .327 xSLG which were both well below the average marks. However, he is an elite defender as he placed in the 90th percentile in Outs Above Average. If he were to miss time, Jared Triolo would likely see an uptick in playing time.
The word at Pittsburgh Pirates camp is that third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (back) is feeling good entering spring training. PittsburghPG's Noah Hiles writes that he couldn't help but notice Hayes walking around on Wednesday with a big smile on his face. The 28-year-old fell apart in 2024 and played in only 96 games, slashing .233/.283/.290 with a career-worst .573 OPS, four home runs, 25 RBI, 11 stolen bases and 75 strikeouts in 396 plate appearances. However, his back injury was most likely to blame, and he didn't play for the Pirates past Aug. 17. Hayes has an elite glove at third base, so as long as he's healthy, he should see regular playing time. But for fantasy purposes, managers shouldn't be expecting much from a power standpoint given the injuries that he dealt with last year. Hayes' speed and regular playing time will make him useful in NL-only formats, but those in mixed leagues will be avoiding him.
Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (back) is not expected to return during the final week of the season, according to Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pirates assistant general manager Kevan Graves said that the window for Hayes to return is "too short." Hayes finishes the 2024 campaign with a disappointing .233/.283/.290 slash line and just four home runs and 11 stolen bases. Fantasy managers should expect Jared Triolo to see the majority of starts at the hot corner during the final week of the season. Triolo is getting the starting nod on Sunday afternoon and will bat in the seven-hole against Cincinnati right-hander Hunter Greene.
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton said on his weekly appearance on 93.7 The Fan that as of right now, offseason back surgery is not on the table for third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (back). The current focus is on strengthening Hayes' back. He has yet to resume baseball activities since landing on the injured list three-plus weeks ago. The 27-year-old tanked offensively in 2024, but most of his issues could stem from back issues that have plagued him all year. Hayes is not going to return in 2024, and his and the Pirates primary focus this offseason will be to get his back issues sorted out so that he can try to get back to form in 2025. The former first-rounder in 2015 struggled to a .233/.283/.290 slash line with a terrible .573 OPS, four homers, 25 RBI and 11 steals in 365 at-bats this year. Jared Triolo has been the primary beneficiary at third in Pittsburgh with Hayes on the IL.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are still in the process of "learning more" about third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes' back injury, and there is no timetable for his return right now. The Pirates have fallen even further out of playoff contention after a sweep at the hands of the division-rival Chicago Cubs this week, so it wouldn't be a surprise at all if we didn't see Hayes at all again in 2024. The 27-year-old is on the injured list for the second time in 2024 with back issues and may need a surgical procedure, depending on what the team finds in their evaluations. Playing at less than 100% has led Hayes to regress further offensively, hitting .233/.283/.290 with only four home runs, 25 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 365 at-bats. Jared Triolo is benefitting from a starting role at third base in Pittsburgh now that Hayes is on the shelf again. The priority for the Pirates at this point is just getting Hayes healthy for 2025.
Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on his 93.7 The Fan radio show on Sunday that he was optimistic that third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (back) will play again in 2024. Hayes was placed on the 10-day injured list on Aug. 19 due to lower-back inflammation, which also kept him out in May for an 18-day stint on the IL. In his last six games, Hayes hit just .042 (1-for-24), and he's hitting .196 in the month of August. It's clear that the 27-year-old's back injury has been affecting his performance for a while. The former first-round pick's numbers have crashed hard this year and he's currently slashing .233/.283/.290 with a .573 OPS, only four home runs, 25 RBI, 11 stolen bases and 38 runs scored. It's unclear how much Hayes might play when he returns, especially if Pittsburgh is eventually eliminated from playoff contention. Hayes' injury has opened up more playing time for Jared Triolo.
Ke'Bryan Hayes
• 3B
•
Pirates
|
