It’s been a familiar sight for the Philadelphia Phillies this season: a player running around the bases stands motionless and grabs the back of his leg.
The latest Phillie to repeat the ever-worrisome feat is rookie Austin Hays. The outfielder stopped just feet from the batter’s box in the third inning of Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers before gingerly walking down the first-base line and straight into the clubhouse.
He left the game after feeling a pull in his hamstring. After the final diagnosis of a hamstring strain on Friday afternoon, the Phillies announced that their latest signing would be placed on the 10-day injured list.
The good news is that Hays doesn’t believe the injury will keep him out of the roster for long, according to Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
“After I get the MRI results and it’s very mild, it won’t be long before it’s back on track,” Hays said before Friday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to Seidman. “We really need to rest him, let him settle down and in a couple of days we’ll see how he feels. I don’t expect it to be a month. I expect it to be a short period of time.”
Hays is the fourth Phillies player to go on the IL with a hamstring injury this season. Trea Turner, Brandon Marsh and Bryce Harper all spent varying amounts of time on the IL with hamstring strains. Turner’s injury was the worst, lasting just over six weeks. Marsh and Harper were on the IL for shorter periods, although their injuries appeared to be worse at the time.
The Phillies apparently view this injury as similar to the illness that sidelined Marsh for 13 days in June.
Hays found his rhythm at bat for the Phillies
The bad news is that Hays was just beginning to find his rhythm at bat in a Phillies uniform. By the time he took over as the regular left fielder, the former Baltimore Oriole had already shown the skills that led the front office to trade Seranthony Domínguez and Cristian Pache for the 29-year-old.
In his first two games with the Phillies, he hit 1-for-8. Over the next eight games, he posted a batting average of .300/.323/.467 with one home run, two doubles, four runs scored, four drives in, and one stolen base in 30 at-bats.
He had gone 4 for 9 in the Dodgers series before being eliminated in the finale after just one at-bat.
With Hays setting up the revolving door in left field and Nick Castellanos’ early-season struggles a distant memory, the Phillies’ outfield seemed poised for a more productive final stretch. Now we’ll have to wait a few weeks — hopefully that’s all — before we see the outfield back together.
