PITTSBURGH — It didn’t take Ke’Bryan Hayes long to have a homecoming.
The Gold Glove third baseman returned to PNC Park on Thursday night as a member of the Reds, eight days after they acquired him in a trade with the Pirates. Hayes received a standing ovation before his first plate appearance in the third inning. Hayes — who went 1-for-3 on the night — promptly followed the ovation with a single to left in Cincinnati’s 7-0 loss to Pittsburgh.
The Reds are in the thick of the pennant race, entering Thursday three games out of the third National League Wild Card spot, while the Pirates are in last place in the NL Central.
Hayes said he has fond memories of his time with the Pirates, who selected him in the first round of the 2015 Draft following his graduation from high school in Tomball, Texas. Yet he hasn’t had much of an opportunity for nostalgia following the trade.
“The last couple of days I’ve just been setting a lot of stuff in motion,” Hayes said. “My parents, agent, my girlfriend, they’ve all been helping with that stuff, so I could just focus on playing. But while I’m here, I’ll finish packing everything up and get it to Cincy.”
Hayes is even-keeled, so while he was happy to see old friends so soon after the trade, he wasn’t overly pumped facing his old team. He is more focused on adjusting to his new team.
“I’m kind of super low-key,” Hayes said. “Since I’ve gotten over there, I’ve tried to get over there as fast as I could, and I was able to play that next day. For me, I just focus on going out there and helping my team win. [Coming back to Pittsburgh] is definitely in the back of your mind. I guess it is better that it’s happened so soon. Get all that stuff out of the way and get back to playing.”
The Pirates expected Hayes to be a cornerstone player when they signed him to an eight-year, $70-million contract early in the 2022 season. While his defense was stellar, chronic back problems affected his hitting as he hit six home runs combined in 2024 and 2025.
Hayes, though, has good memories of Pittsburgh, including making his MLB debut during the pandemic-affected 2020 season.
“It was great,” Hayes said. “There were ups and downs. Having to go on the IL, but I felt like this past year, I was able to stay on the field, stay healthy. But all in all, it was good. Just kind of all the things I’ve learned, all the people I’ve met. The fans and stuff were great to me here and I got to meet a lot of people.”
