Ke’Bryan Hayes is delivering the last thing the Reds thought they’d get from him

When the Cincinnati Reds pulled the trigger on a deal for Ke’Bryan Hayes, the consensus reaction was simple. They were getting an elite glove at third base, nothing more. Hayes had built his reputation as one of the slickest defenders in the game, but his bat has been a different story. In fact, most Reds fans (and probably the front office, too) had already written off the idea of him being anything more than a defensive specialist.

And who could blame them? Coming off a miserable 2024 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates in which he slashed .233/.283/.290 with just four home runs across 96 games, Hayes looked like a player stuck in neutral. Even the start of his 2025 campaign in Pittsburgh mirrored that same frustrating offensive output.

However, Hayes has completely flipped the narrative. Since landing in Cincinnati, Hayes has reminded everyone that sometimes all a player needs is a change of scenery.

Ke’Bryan Hayes is giving the Reds an offensive jolt no one saw coming

In just 20 games with the Reds, he’s already matched the home run total he put up in 100 games for the Pirates earlier this year. He’s slashing .266/.319/.469 since the trade, looking a whole lot like the 2023 version of himself; the one who hit 15 homers, drove in 61, and posted a .271 average across 124 games.

The numbers back up the eye test, too. Hayes is carrying a 110 OPS+ in Cincinnati, his highest mark since his electrifying rookie campaign when he put up a 201 OPS+ in a 24-game burst. Hayes has become a revelation for a Reds team that has been starving for stability and production at third base.

Before the trade deadline, Cincinnati’s third basemen were near the bottom of the league offensively. They ranked 21st in batting average (.234) and just 18th in RBIs. Since August 1st? A total turnaround. The position has skyrocketed to fourth in the league in batting average (.289) and sixth in RBI (17). That’s not a coincidence, it’s the impact of Hayes, with an assist from Noelvi Marte.

The Reds went looking for defense. What they got instead was a two-way difference maker. If Hayes keeps hitting anything close to this level, this deadline deal could go down as one of the sneakiest steals of the season.

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