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Austin Hays was a Jacksonville University slugger when he met with A.J. Preller ahead of the 2016 amateur draft.
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The Orioles ultimately selected Hayes in the third round that year, but the 31-year-old outfielder had talks with Preller, the Padres’ president of baseball operations, before signing with the Reds in January 2025 and the White Sox last winter.
So perhaps Sunday’s move – the Padres signed Hays to a major-league deal and activated him ahead of their finale against the Astros – was in the cards.
“I was like, man, it’s just meant to be,” Hays said in front of his new locker at Petco Park on Sunday afternoon. “I just hadn’t ended up here the last couple free agencies, but doesn’t matter how. I’m here now, and I’m really excited to be here.”
That said, Hays likely had to work himself into that frame of mind.
He signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the White Sox that included an $8 million mutual option for 2027. He played in just nine games before a right calf strain sent him to the injured list. Hays returned in late April, played three games and then had a left calf strain send him back to the shelf.
Hays was hitting .279/.289/.605 with four homers in 11 rehab games with Triple-A Charlotte when he was designated for assignment last week, after the contending White Sox acquired Brenton Doyle in a trade with the Rockies. Chicago ultimately released him.
“It was hard because I had a lot of conversations with (general manager Chris) Getz in the offseason about what we think the team could be,” Hays said. “I really liked the moves he was making. I liked the guys that he’d brought in, and they had some young studs that started to turn it around the year before. So, being there early in the year, going through a full camp, you talk about the possibilities of what could be, and it was all coming to fruition.
“And just unfortunately, the team kind of found their way without me while I was hurt, and just I don’t get to see it through to the end.”
The Padres’ position in the NL wild-card race, combined with his familiarity with Preller and San Diego while nearly choosing to play here – “It was really between San Diego and one other team a couple times,” he said – made for a quick agreement. Hays delivered in his Padres debut, launching a two-run homer off the facade in the Western Metal Building with nobody out in the eighth inning. The Padres went on to win 7-2.
The Padres optioned infielder Gage Workman to Triple-A El Paso on Sunday to make room for Hays, who is expected to serve as a fourth outfielder and option against left-handed pitching.
An All-Star in 2023, when he paired 16 homers with a .769 OPS for the Orioles, Hays is a .262/.312/.433 hitter in nine years in the majors and a .282/.340/.477 hitter against lefties.
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“Yeah, he’s a good right-handed bench bat,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said. “He’ll be able to play the outfield really well, but one of those guys that in his career has hit lefty pitching really well. So somebody that we can bring in to pinch hit against a tough lefty or someone we could start against a lefty on the mound.”
Hays has participated in the last three postseasons with the Orioles, Phillies and Reds, hitting .182/.280/.227 in seven games. Now, he’s hoping to make it four in a row.
“There’s a lot of meaningful baseball to be played,” Hays said. “I left one contender and came over here to a really good ballclub. They’re built to win, and they’re built to go all the way to the finish line. So I’m really thankful that I’m getting the opportunity to join a team like that, and my legs are feeling good. I’m feeling healthy at the right time. I was swinging it really good on my rehab assignment, so I’m confident, healthy and ready to go.”
Musgrove’s next step
Right-hander Joe Musgrove made his second rehab start on four days’ rest, pitching into the fourth inning on Sunday for Triple-A El Paso in Reno. He struck out two, didn’t walk a batter and allowed a run on six hits in 3⅓ innings.
Musgrove threw 42 of his 53 pitches for strikes and even touched 95 mph in his fourth inning of work. Musgrove threw 39 pitches on Tuesday at low Single-A Lake Elsinore.
Sunday’s game streamed throughout the home clubhouse at Petco Park and even in Stammen’s office for him to watch between preparations for Sunday’s game.
“It’s a sight for sore eyes,” Stammen said. “I know we’re all excited for him to have handled this tough rehab process, and that he’s somewhat on the way back, and he’s getting closer every single day. So that’s exciting just to begin with.”
If he stays on the same schedule, Musgrove – who last pitched for the Padres in the 2024 offseason before undergoing Tommy John surgery – could pitch again as soon as Friday as he eyes a return to the rotation before the end of the month.
Meantime, Nick Pivetta is continuing to play catch. There is a plan for a bullpen session in the coming days, but the team will read and react to how he feels before making that public.
If Pivetta does not return to the majors by Aug. 22, the terms of his contract state that his player options can be converted to a club option. That would essentially give the Padres the ability to void the final two years and $32 million of the deal Pivetta signed before the 2025 season.
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Notable
- INF Miguel Andujar had his injured left wrist taped as he took grounders and throws at first base as he eases back into baseball activity. His fracture has sidelined him since July 20.
- Workman played in just two games with the Padres following the trade from Detroit alongside RHP Casey Mize, going 1-for-3 with a double and three RBIs.
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This story was originally published August 9, 2026 at 4:32 PM.