Reds may soon ask Ke'Bryan Hayes to do something almost unheard of

Cincinnati Reds third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes is one of the best defenders in the game, and has back-to-back Gold Glove Awards to prove it. But his inept performance at the plate has relegated him to somewhat of a defensive-replacement, and at best, at platoon player. The Reds could soon ask Hayes to make a difficult decision, and it may well define his future with the organization.

Heading into play on Saturday against the Cleveland Guardians, Hayes was hitting just .153/.203/.243 with a 19 wRC+ and a 23 OPS+. Those Reds fans who've become Hayes' apologist will cite his "expected stats" as reason to believe he's on the cusp of breaking through, but the only thing the Cincinnati faithful have come to expect is poor plate discipline, weak fly outs, and ground balls to second base.

The veteran is even struggling defensively this season. Though Fielding Bible rates Hayes as the third-best defender with 6 defensive runs saved (DRS), Baseball Savant ranks him among the 32nd percentile this season with -1 outs above average (OAA). For reference, Hayes had 19 DRS and 22 OAA en route to his second consecutive Gold Glove Award in 2025.

Hayes has slowly begun to piece together some meaningful plate appearances, having gone 6-for-20 over his last seven games, though only one of those hits went for extra bases.

When Eugenio Suárez returns from the injured list — which could be sooner than later — the Reds will be faced with a choice. It's difficult to see Cincinnati take drastic action and outright release Hayes not even a year into his tenure with the organization, but they could ask him to accept a minor-league assignment to help get his swing right.

Ke'Bryan Hayes could save his Reds future with one difficult decision

Hayes has more than five years of service time, and cannot be optioned to the minor leagues without his consent. If the Reds actually had the ability to send Hayes to Triple-A for a tuneup, goodness knows they would have done it already. But his status as a veteran big-leaguer makes that type of transaction all but impossible.

On the one hand, Hayes could recognize his need for improvement and accept an outright assignment to the minor leagues. As it stands now, he's gone from Major League regular to late-inning replacement. The Reds have their sights set on the postseason this year, and even Hayes' $8.75 million salary isn't going to dissuade Terry Francona from letting him ride the bench.

However, accepting an assignment to the minors could enable one of the Reds' top young players to replace Hayes altogether. Reds fans have already seen Sal Stewart get several starts at the hot corner, and up-and-coming prospect Edwin Arroyo has spent time at third base as well. The last thing a player like Hayes wants to do is have a Wally Pipp situation on his hands — especially if he voluntarily accepts an assignment.

Seeing a veteran player like Hayes accept a minor-league assignment is rare, but it's not unheard of. The Houston Astros used this roster loophole with Jose Abreu back in 2023. Unfortunately, it didn't work, and Houston eventually was forced to cut the former AL MVP. The same thing could happen to Hayes, but it may be on the docket anyway.

It's difficult to see Cincinnati cutting bait with $30 million remaining on Hayes' contract that runs through 2029. But if he fails to turn things around in the coming weeks, it's not out of the realm of possibilities to think that the Reds and Hayes may actually part ways.

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