The White Sox have agreed to a one-year deal with veteran outfielder Austin Hays, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand on Saturday morning. The club has not confirmed the deal, which also includes incentives.
Hays missed 59 games with multiple injuries in 2025, but when healthy he displayed the hitting capability that earned him an All-Star nod in 2023. His .768 OPS ranked second among Reds with at least 200 plate appearances, and Hays reached 15 home runs for the fourth time in five seasons.
The 30-year-old outfielder started the season with 12 hits in his first 28 at-bats and was batting over .300 as late as June 27, also carrying a .500 slugging percentage into the final week of July.
Hays got to those numbers by feasting on fastballs, batting .337 with a .709 slugging percentage in 95 plate appearances that ended with four-seamers. Against sinkers, Hays batted .353 with a .632 slugging percentage in 71 plate appearances. He was worth nine runs against those two pitches but minus-7 against all others without a .400 slugging percentage against any of them.
Hays had particular trouble against sliders, sweepers and curveballs, striking out in nearly one-third of the plate appearances that ended in those pitches. Still, he brings success against fastballs and a cannon of a right arm that ranks in the 88th percentile in arm strength.
Hays has appeared in the postseason in each of the last three years with three different teams. His pedigree includes three seasons in which he qualified for the batting title and posted an OPS-plus of at least 105. He hit 35 doubles for the Orioles in 2022 and 36 a year later.
Hays' biggest obstacle as he plays deeper into his 30s is his health -- his 103 games in 2025 came after he played 85 in 2024, battling multiple maladies including injuries to his calf and hamstring, as well as a kidney infection. When healthy, Hays has shown he can contribute in multiple ways to a winning club.