White Sox get bad injury update on .746 OPS All-Star outfielder after Orioles game

White Sox get bad injury update on .746 OPS All-Star outfielder after Orioles game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Chicago White Sox feel like a club that will play more competitive baseball in 2026, but they'll need all of their players healthy to do so. 

According to manager Will Venable (per James Fegan of Sox Machine), outfielder Austin Hays will go on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. Hays left Monday's game against the Baltimore Orioles in the fourth inning. 

In a corresponding move, the White Sox have promoted outfielder Dustin Harris from Triple-A Charlotte. 

"Hays was a big offseason addition for the White Sox, providing power to the middle of the lineup with a homer and six RBIs entering Monday’s series opener," MLB.com's Jackson Stone wrote Tuesday.

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"He’s also given Chicago a strong defensive option in left, with Andrew Benintendi moving to more of a designated hitter role to begin the season. It is expected that Benintendi will now play left almost every day, with a rotation at designated hitter." 

Hays, 30, is a nine-year veteran who made his debut in 2017 with the Orioles. He's become a reliable defender and decent source of power, especially against left-handed pitching. 

He made his first and only All-Star appearance in 2023, hitting .275/.325/.444 with 16 home runs and a .769 OPS in 144 games. Chicago signed Hays to a one-year, $6 million contract during the offseason. 

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