Top stars prolonged slump since the All-Star break has flown somewhat under the radar. The Cincinnati Reds outfielder, currently serving mostly as the team’s DH, has been one of their least productive hitters, raising the question of whether manager Terry Francona will drop him from the cleanup spot to a lower position in the order.
He has batted cleanup in over 60 games this season, a plan Francona emphasized in spring training to give Elly De La Cruz lineup protection. However, His recent struggles have made that strategy less effective.
While De La Cruz’s post-break performance has dipped as well, it hasn’t been as poor as top star. Still, having both players slumping at once undermines the original intent, especially with Hays batting just .200 since the break. Given Hays’ success against left-handers, Francona might be better off reserving him for the cleanup role only when facing southpaws.
Francona has shown a reluctance to shuffle key players in the batting order — Matt McLain being a prime example. McLain held the No. 2 spot in the lineup for weeks before eventually being dropped to the bottom. If Hays is moved down — at least against right-handers — the Reds don’t have many clear replacements.
One possibility is Noelvi Marté, who’s hitting over .300 against righties this season, a surprising turnaround after his rough 2024 campaign. Still, beyond Marté, no Reds hitter poses a true threat to opposing pitchers, meaning keeping Hays in the cleanup role might simply be the least-bad option.
Reds fans enjoyed a brief honeymoon period with Hays early in the year. Despite early injury issues, he batted .365 through his first 13 games in April, seemingly validating Francona’s strategy. Since then, however, his production has dipped to mediocrity.
Meanwhile, top outfield prospect Hector Rodriguez has been thriving at Triple-A since his call-up, and a major league opportunity could arrive as soon as this month.
Signing Hays to a team-friendly deal last offseason was still a solid move — he’s delivered timely hits and steady defense — but he hasn’t met the expectations of an everyday cleanup hitter. If the slump continues, Francona may be forced to make a change.