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Missing a consistent Ke'Bryan Hayes really hurt the Pirates in 2024. The year-over-year regression was one of the driving factors that led them to collapse midsummer and miss the playoffs entirely. This season, hoping for a fresh start, the Pirates' long-term third baseman came to spring training discussing the positive state of his health, and all spirits were high about how he could return to his 2023 form.
A few weeks deep into spring training, Hayes found some success at the plate, adjusting his swing to finish with two hands instead of one. That led him to collecting four hits in 16 at-bats, including a run batted in, and striking out only three times. He was also hitting the ball hard consistently, so there was a lot of building optimism around Hayes, even when he made loud outs. Naturally, that just got completely shut down with this recent injury update.
He has not been in a game since March 5 due to left side tightness. That initially felt like it portended doom with his poor back, it was later reported that these two issues do not have any correlation to each other, and his latest absence is more of a precautionary rest.
Still, the discomfort is definitely a concern for a full season. The Pirates cannot afford to pay him to sit on the injured list, with payroll as tight as it is.
Derek Shelton said that Ke'Bryan Hayes is experiencing some "left side tightness," which explains why we haven't seen him play in a game since March 5. He said he was fielding ground balls today and will take some swings tomorrow.
— Noah Hiles (@_NoahHiles) March 11, 2025
Ke'Bryan Hayes experiencing tightness in his side is a major problem for the Pirates entering the 2025 season.
When Hayes is out, the Pirates are not deep at all at third base, so getting consistent playing time out of him is crucial for this team. He can't just play, though. He has to make enough changes to make certain he never repeats his 2024 season, where he posted a wRC+ of 59 with an OPS of .573. Those numbers are very below average.
The hope was to get him back to where he was in 2023, producing a wRC+ of 100 with a .762 OPS. That is average, but Pirates fans will totally take it, given the defense and stability.
This injury update is a total red flag, but we have to hope it does not linger all year. His health is so important to Pittsburgh, and could totally make or break this 2025 season for the Pirates.