The Reds still have a Ke’Bryan Hayes mess on their hands

Though he owns just a .463 OPS for the entirety of the 2026 season, that's ticked up to a .588 OPS since the start of the month of August. Over his most recent 13 games, he's hit a robust (for him!) .241/.333/.345 in 33 PA, and he even drove in a run (himself) to up his season total to 8 RBI.

Small victories! Except, of course, these are the Cincinnati Reds we are talking about, and the baseball gods long ago decided that the Reds cannot have nice things – even in small packages. On Friday prior to the start of their series against the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field, the Reds were forced to place Hayes back on the 10-day injured list, this time with a hamstring problem.

It's just the latest chapter in the terribly disappointing tenure Hayes has had with the Reds across just 13 months. It's one that seemingly is destined to continue, though, as nothing he's done so far – not the league-worst hitting, not the injuries – has been enough for the Reds to cut bait on him, and that's obviously due to the ~$30 some million he's still owed between now and 2030.