Pirates' Hayes is nearly pain-free after chronic back issues cost him in 2024

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Ke'Bryan Hayes is not entirely pain free. The Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman knows he may never be.

Yet the doubt that crept into the former Gold Glove winner last fall as he tried to rehab from a chronic lower-back issue that limited him to just 97 games in 2024 has been replaced by optimism.

While Hayes may never be “100%” again, Hayes is confident he can get pretty close.

“I think for us to be a good team, I have to be that special at my position,” Hayes said Wednesday. "Playing third base, you have to be a guy that can drive the ball. Whether it be just doubles or home runs, that’s part of my job. I think for us to be a good team and get into the playoffs, I have to do that.”

Pittsburgh, which did little in free agency to bolster an offense that finished near the bottom of the majors in every major category, is heavily invested in Hayes returning to form. The Pirates sent him to Dr. Robert Watkins in Los Angeles, who told Hayes he needed to strengthen his core muscles to take some of the pressure off his back.

The learning curve on the exercises Watkins asked Hayes to do was steep.

“I was like ‘Man, I don’t know if this is going to work,'” Hayes said. “Because some of the stuff I’m doing, I just had to trust it and pay close attention.”

And not just when he's at the gym. Hayes has spent the last few months re-teaching himself how to do everything from sitting in a car to lifting a bag to standing upright, all with the idea of trying to make his symptoms as close to “non-existent” as they can get.

“That's the challenge I have,” he said.

A challenge the Pirates will need Hayes to meet as they try to build around reigning National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes.

When Hayes is at his best, he's one of the best defenders and a threat at the plate. He was largely neither in 2024, when his back started acting up near the end of spring training. He tried to grit his way through it, but the torque of his swing and the demands of playing one of the most difficult positions on the field became too much.

Hayes' defense took a step back and the somewhat limited power he had in the batter's box vanished. He hit a career-low .233, with just 13 extra-base hits before the Pirates placed him on the injured list for good in late August as they slid out of contention on their way to a 76-86 finish.

“Growing up, I never missed games, I never missed anything,” the 28-year-old said. "For my peace of mind I've just got to figure out how to stay on that field because it ain’t fun being on the IL. You just feel like you’re kind of there. Like you’re not helping or contributing.”

The Pirates remain bullish on the former first-round pick, who finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. They signed him to an eight-year contract in the spring of 2022 and labeled him a franchise cornerstone. He played like one in 2023, when he hit .271 with 15 homers and 61 RBIs. All that momentum came to a screeching halt in 2024.

“Last year was a grind for him,” general manager Ben Cherington said. "If we’re getting (him) closer to ’22 and ’23, that’s going to make a big impact on the team.”

Hayes reworked his swing over the winter, focusing on finishing with both hands on the bat to put less stress on his side. It also should — in theory anyway — prevent him from chasing pitches down and out of the strike zone. The early returns have been positive, but he's hardly getting ahead of himself.

Getting back on the field is one thing. Staying there is another. The daily regiment given to him by Watkins is time-consuming. Yet if Hayes has learned anything in the last year, it's that he can't just wake up one day, have his back feel fine and think that he's past it. He knows now that may never be the case.

“I know it’s going to be a lot of work going forward,” he said. "But that’s my job to take that challenge. ”

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