Reds suffer brutal blow as key bat hits IL before Cubs showdown

The Cincinnati Reds lost one of their best bats on Friday after announcing that outfielder Austin Hays is headed to the injured list with a left foot contusion. Hays will be replaced in the lineup by Jake Fraley who returned from his rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville.

This is a serious blow to the Reds' offense ahead of a massive three-game series against the Chicago Cubs. Not only has Hays been Cincinnati's most reliable bat this season, but he's also offered protection behind Elly De La Cruz in the lineup.

This will, unfortunately, be Hays' third trip to the injured list this season. He's already been sidelined with a calf injury and hamstring strain. His placement on the IL has been backdated to May 29, meaning that he can return to the active roster next weekend.

Reds suffer brutal blow as Austin Hays hits IL before Cubs showdown

Hays fouled a pitch off his foot during the Reds' series finale against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night. The injury occurred during a prolonged at-bat against Noah Cameron in the sixth inning. Hays stayed in the game, but was in obvious pain. After scoring the first run of the game for Cincinnati, Hays was lifted from the contest and replaced by Gavin Lux. The former Baltimore Orioles All-Star was hitting .303 with a .901 OPS on the season.

Without their biggest offseason acquisition, Cincinnati will be forced to turn to a combination of Fraley, Lux, TJ Friedl, Garrett Hampson, Will Benson, and Connor Joe in the outfield. Fraley, Lux, Friedl, and Benson provide enough production against right-handed pitching, but without Hays, this group will undoubtedly struggle against southpaws.

In addition to Fraley, the Reds also recalled pitcher Lyon Richardson. Earlier in the week, Cincinnati optioned rookie fireballer Luis Mey back to the minor leagues. While MLB rules typically restrict a player like Richardson from being recalled so quickly, Hays' injury worked in his favor. The right-hander has been terrific this season with a near un-hittable changeup. Having Richardson back in the fold will bring some measure of consistency to an overworked Reds bullpen.

The Cubs have yet to announce their starting pitchers for the upcoming series, but Cincinnati's lineup just became a lot weaker with Hays now on the IL. The Reds need the likes of De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Tyler Stephenson, and Spencer Steer to step up if they hope to enact revenge on the Cubs this weekend.

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