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PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Phillies acquired outfielder Austin Hays from the Baltimore Orioles on Friday in exchange for right-handed pitcher Seranthony Domínguez and outfielder Cristian Pache.
The starting center fielder in the 2023 All-Star Game for the American League, Hays got off to a terrible start and was placed on the injured list with a left calf strain in April. He had just three homers and 14 RBI in 63 games this season for the Orioles.
Baltimore entered Friday at 61-41 and held a two-game lead over the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Phillies boast the best record in baseball at 64-38.
Hays was in Philadelphia, but not in the lineup for Friday’s game against Cleveland. The 29-year-old Hays, who can’t become a free-agent until after the 2025 season, should have the chance to make an instant impact in Philadelphia.
“I do not see him as a platoon player,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “This guy is an All-Star last year. And for whatever reason, I don’t know Baltimore’s situation, but he wasn’t playing every single day. I think that’s maybe affected his numbers a little bit. So I want to see what we have here.”
Originally selected by the Orioles in the third round of the 2016 MLB draft, Hays played 557 games for Baltimore over parts of seven seasons and had 121 doubles, eight triples, 66 home runs, 242 RBI and 126 walks. Against left-handers in his career, he has hit .272 with a .328 on-base percentage and .463 slugging percentage.
Hays began his career in 2017 and went through a difficult rebuild in Baltimore before the Orioles finally won the AL East last year.
“He’s a true pro. To lose someone like that, that we’re all close to, it’s tough,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “Tough day, but we’re excited about the two guys we’re getting and wish Austin well.”
The Phillies could use Hays in a platoon with left-handed hitting Brandon Marsh in left field as they chase their third straight trip to the playoffs and their first World Series championship since 2008. Thomson added that Hays could win the starting job in left field. Marsh would then platoon in center field with light-hitting Johan Rojas, who has turned into an elite defender.
The 29-year-old Domínguez appeared in 230 games for the Phillies over parts of six seasons. He is 3-2 with one save and a 4.25 ERA this season in 38 games.
Pache hit .202 in 50 games for the Phillies this season.
Marsh was in the starting lineup Friday against Cleveland right-hander Ben Lively. Marsh never developed into an everyday player because of his overall struggle over left-handers. Marsh, the popular outfielder with his signature wet hair style, has a .140 batting average with two RBI in 57 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers this season.
“I’m not really sure why he has struggled so much against left-handed pitching this year,” team president Dave Dombrowski said. “He made some progress last year. We’re a little bit surprised, actually. We still think he will do it, but it’s not something he’s done this year. We still think he has a chance to be an everyday player.”
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