In a scene described as a “scary moment,” the Pittsburgh Pirates held their collective breath when Ke’Bryan Hayes remained facedown after a headfirst slide into home plate produced a collision with Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras.

Hayes became a franchise cornerstone when he signed an eight-year, $70 million contract in April, so the sight of the 25-year-old third baseman clutching his left shoulder had the Pirates pressing pause in their celebration of what Michael Chavis called an “awkward walk-off” win Thursday afternoon at PNC Park.

That Hayes, after being tended to by trainer Rafael Freitas, was able to get up on his own, extend and rotate his left arm before leaving the field without assistance was viewed as a promising sign.

“The good thing is he walked off under his own power,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said in his postgame news conference. “I walked upstairs with him, and he seemed like he was in a better spot.”

The Pirates provided no updates on Hayes on Friday morning but already know what it’s like to lose him for an extended stretch. After homering in the 2021 season opener, Hayes missed the next two months with a left hand/wrist injury that sidelined him until early June. Hayes also left the season opener at St. Louis this year in the first inning when he experienced spasms in his left hand. He played the next day.

So the sight of Hayes being hurt had the Pirates worried.

“That was a little scary,” Pirates pitcher Jose Quintana said. “I asked how he was feeling now, and he said he’s OK. … We need this guy.”

That’s an understatement, as Hayes has been the Pirates’ best all-around player this season. He leads the team with a .264 batting average, 15 doubles and is tied with Chavis for the RBIs lead with 24. Hayes, who has started 62 of 69 games, leads all third basemen and is tied for the major-league lead in defensive runs saved (14) and had SABR’s highest Defensive Index ranking since June 19 (7.7).

And, after hitting .200 this month, Hayes appeared to snap out of a slump in Thursday’s 8-7 win over the Cubs. He hit a two-run homer in the third inning, reached twice on errors and scored three runs, including the winner in the 10th inning.

The Cubs lost a challenge on a call at home in the top of the 10th, arguing Pirates catcher Tyler Heineman blocked the plate on Patrick Wisdom’s slider. Shelton called the Hayes-Contreras collision a “borderline play” and said he didn’t think there was any intent by Contreras to block the plate or injure Hayes. Shelton credited Hayes for making an “aggressive baseball play” but said he would have preferred that Hayes hadn’t slid headfirst into home.

“I don’t think I would ever want anybody going headfirst into the plate,” Shelton said. “It’s just a natural thing for a lot of these players these days. They try to slide around tags. There’s a whole issue with sliding into the plate. A lot of guys that slide into the plate slide in and keep their front foot up and you see a lot of replays that are overturned because of it. If I’m voting, I’m going to vote that he does not slide headfirst into the plate.”

The only other Pirates to start at third base this season are Chavis (four games), Hoy Park (two) and Rodolfo Castro (one), who is now at Triple-A Indianapolis. Of the eight players who started at third base last season, five are no longer with the Pirates. Park started eight games, Castro four and Chavis three.

Problem is, Chavis has been starting at first base since Yoshi Tsutsugo (lower back) went on the injured list May 27. Four Pirates players are on rehabilitation assignments at Indianapolis, with Tsutsugo, infielder Josh VanMeter and outfielder Ben Gamel eligible to return from the injured list and shortstop Kevin Newman becoming eligible Sunday.

That makes Park the most likely candidate to fill in for Hayes. Castro could be called up, but he’s been struggling at the plate in Indianapolis, batting .189 (10 for 53) over the past 15 games. Diego Castillo is a candidate, given he has played six positions this season, including eight innings at third base after Hayes left the opener.

The Pirates, of course, are just hoping Hayes is healthy.

“Ke’ walked off the field,” Chavis said. “He stood up, so that’s the biggest thing we’re focused on.”

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)