White Sox Designate Austin Hays For Assignment

The White Sox have designated veteran outfielder Austin Hays for assignment, per a team announcement. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported he’d be cut a few minutes prior to the team’s formal announcement. Hays recently wrapped up a minor league rehab stint for a monthslong absence due to a calf strain. The South Siders had to either add him to the big league roster or cut him loose, and they’ve opted for the latter.

Hays, 31, signed a one-year, $6MM deal with Chicago over the winter. He only made it into 12 games before suffering a significant calf strain. In 44 plate appearances, he slashed .233/.250/.326 with a homer, a double, a walk and 13 strikeouts.

A former third-round pick by the Orioles and well-regarded prospect in Baltimore’s system, Hays has at times looked the part of an everyday outfielder. Frequent injuries have derailed a promising start to his career, however, and he’s now settled into a mercenary role as a short-side platoon outfielder. The Sox are his fourth team in the past three seasons, and while he’s unlikely to be claimed on waivers because of that salary — he still has about $1.7MM yet to be paid out — there’s a decent chance Hays will push that number to five once he clears waivers.

Hays is a career .262/.312/.433 hitter in 2664 big league plate appearances. He’s nominally capable of playing all three outfield spots but is really only an emergency option in center at this point. He hasn’t logged an inning there since 2023. Hays’ biggest value to a club is his ability to hit left-handed pitching. He’s been a slightly below-average hitter in right-on-right matchups throughout his career but boasts a lifetime .282/.339/.477 slash against southpaws (123 wRC+).

The White Sox originally signed Hays largely to fill such a platoon role, but they’ve found productive alternatives while he’s been on the shelf. The ChiSox picked up Randal Grichuk back in April after the Yankees booted him from the roster. He’s gone on to hit .275/.312/.565 with nine homers in 138 plate appearances. The Sox also added center fielder Brenton Doyle in aa deadline-day deal with the Rockies, giving them another right-handed-hitting outfielder who can handle center field on a regular basis. That’ll push Hays out of the picture at Guaranteed Rate Field, but his track record should create interest among other clubs looking for a right-handed bat. The Twins, Red Sox, Guardians, Rangers and D-backs stand out as a few speculative fits.