Baltimore Orioles Outfielder Looks Sharp in Injury Rehab Debut

The Baltimore Orioles sent Austin Hays to one of their minor-league affiliates to being his injury rehab for a return to the Majors.

Baltimore Orioles left fielder Austin Hays / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Austin Hays began his injury rehab at Double-A Bowie on Tuesday night and looked like the batter he was last year when he went to the All-Star Game.

Hays was expected to play five innings in his first game action since he went on the injured list last month. He batted second and played left field.

He ended up getting three at-bats, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and three runs scored.

Hays launched a home run in his first at-bat, driving home two runs, which gave the Baysox a 2-1 lead as they went on to win, 17-2.

That home run happened to score one of the Orioles’ top prospects, Samuel Basallo, who played first base and led off the inning with a double.

In the third, Hays struck out swinging. He followed that with a walk in the fourth and scored a part of an eight-run inning.

That gave Hays another chance to bat in the fifth, and he singled and later scored on a home run.

The power surge could be a good sign for the Orioles, as Hays was struggling before he went on the 10-day injured list.

Coming off an All-Star season, he started 2024 with a .111 batting average and a .311 OPS. He had just five hits in 45 at-bats.

This came after Hays beat Baltimore at the arbitration table in the offseason, winning a $6.3 million salary for 2024 in his second year of arbitration eligibility. Hays slashed .275/.325/.444/.769 with 16 home runs and 67 RBI.

Hays has been on the 10-day injured list since last month with a left calf injury he suffered on April 20. He’s been working out with Bowie since the weekend in anticipation of the start of his rehab assignment.