Hays returns off bench for Reds in Game 162 clincher
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MILWAUKEE -- After missing the Reds' last six games with back spasms, left fielder Austin Hays returned off the bench Sunday against the Brewers.
“I’m feeling really good the last two days," Hays said before the Reds' 4-2 loss to the Brewers on Sunday, when Cincinnati still clinched the final postseason spot in the National League.
With the Reds having advanced to the postseason by earning the final National League Wild Card spot, Hays was optimistic he would be available to be included on the roster for the best-of-three Wild Card Series against the Dodgers, which begins Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
“I’m feeling really confident because of the last two days," Hays said. "Three days ago, I was a little skeptical because we had a little bit of a setback. Yesterday, running and throwing was really good, and then I was able to swing [and] do my full normal routine at a normal effort level.”
Hays, 30, was batting .301/.323/.505 with five home runs and 15 RBIs in his previous 25 games before the injury. Overall, he finished the season with a .266/.315/.453 slash line with 15 homers and 64 RBIs in 103 games. His season included three stints on the injured list with three separate injuries.
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With this injury, Hays appreciated the Reds holding off on putting him back on the IL.
“It means a lot," Hays said. "I know if they placed me on the IL, I would have been ineligible to play in that first playoff series. Just getting a chance these last five days to just do everything possible trying to get it turned around, to get me to be available in that first round of the playoffs.”