Ke'Bryan Hayes is finally giving the Reds glimpses, but the outlook remains bleak

Reds third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes is struggling at the plate with a career-worst -0.4 bWAR and just 35 times reaching base in 68 games through August 16, though his elite defense has kept him in the lineup. After returning from a May bulging disc injury, Hayes made swing adjustments that showed promise in minor-league rehab but haven't translated to the majors yet. Statcast data indicates Hayes should be performing much better, as he ranks fourth in squaring up pitches but generates little power, possibly due to his persistent back issues limiting his ability to generate torque. A recent uptick in home runs, with three since late July all hit at 100 mph or harder, suggests Hayes may be starting to turn things around.

Summary written by MLB Feed Network based on the original reporting. How we write summaries