Austin Hays looking to play every
day with the Chicago White Sox
[February 06, 2026]
By JAY COHEN
CHICAGO (AP) — Healthy again, Austin Hays is looking to make the
most of a new opportunity with the Chicago White Sox.
Hays heads to spring training as a regular outfielder for Chicago
after finalizing a $6 million, one-year contract on Wednesday. He is
expected to play right or left field for the rebuilding White Sox
depending on the day.
“Going back into free agency, I really wanted to go somewhere where
I would have an opportunity to do that, play every day, get back to
being able to play both sides of the ball, play defense every day as
well,” Hays said Thursday.
“I got a lot to give and I’m going to be able give that here with
this team, and it’s a young, exciting team.”
The 30-year-old Hays hit .266 with 15 homers and 64 RBIs for
Cincinnati last year, helping the Reds make the playoffs for the
first time since 2020. He batted .319 against left-handers and .249
against righties.
Hays joins an outfield group that also includes Andrew Benintendi
and Luisangel Acuña, who was acquired from the New York Mets in the
Luis Robert Jr. trade.
“He was an All-Star a couple of years ago,” White Sox general
manager Chris Getz said. “He had some health setbacks and perhaps
now that the health stuff’s behind him, his body’s feeling really
good, that we could tap back into him being the All-Star that he was
in 2023.”
Hays was selected by Baltimore in the third round of the 2016
amateur draft. He played for the Orioles for his first six-plus
seasons, setting career highs with 22 homers and 71 RBIs in 2021.
He was traded to Philadelphia on July 26, 2024. He hit .256 with two
homers and six RBIs in 22 games for the Phillies while dealing with
a kidney infection that also affected his offseason.
“I dealt with some stuff in the beginning of (last) year; it was a
little lasting effects of the kidney infection, but you know, once I
really got going, it was a great year,” Hays said. “I felt really
good. So this year, I feel like I’m, you know way ahead of where I
was starting out last year, being able to finish the year healthy
and really just feel like myself mentally and physically being all
the way back now.”
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Cincinnati Reds' Austin Hays celebrates after scoring on a single
from Sal Stewart during the first inning in Game 2 of the National
League Wild Card baseball playoff series against the Los Angeles
Dodgers, Oct. 1, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill,
File)
Hays had stints on the injured list last year for a
left calf strain, a left hamstring strain and a left foot contusion.
But he played in 103 games with the Reds after appearing in just 85
games in 2024.
“Playing over 140 games, that’s a good goal to hit for this year,”
Hays said.
Hays will have a $5 million salary this season, and the contract
includes an $8 million mutual option for 2027 with a $1 million
buyout.
Chicago is looking to take another step forward after it finished
last in the AL Central last year with a 60-102 record, a 19-game
improvement from the previous season. It has a promising group of
young position players that includes Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel
and Chase Meidroth.
The White Sox signed Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami to a $34
million, two-year contract in December, and they added a couple big
arms to their bullpen by signing Seranthony Domínguez in free agency
and trading for Jordan Hicks.
“You just want to continue to find ways to bring in players who can
help you win baseball games,” Getz said. “And there’s different ways
of doing that. You know, I do feel like we’re in a really, really
good spot. We feel like we’ve had a very productive offseason.”
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