Out of alignment: Bothersome back issue sidelines Pirates 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes again

Even before Ke’Bryan Hayes was a late scratch from the starting lineup Tuesday at the New York Mets, the Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman knew lower back tightness could become an issue this season.

The 2023 NL Gold Glove winner told TribLive during the opening homestand that his back continues to be bothersome because of the misalignment of his hips, an issue he deals with on a daily basis.

“From all the knowledge I’ve gotten on it, it’s just some muscle compensation patterns that some days are going to want to tighten up and I’ll be out of alignment,” Hayes said. “I’ve just got to try my best to get back in as good alignment as I can. At least right now, I don’t think there’s really a permanent fix for it. It’s just something I’m always going to have to grind on and work hard at to keep it in its best shape.”

The Pirates planned to give struggling shortstop Oneil Cruz the day off. Instead, with Hayes out, they started Cruz at short and moved Alika Williams to second base and Jared Triolo to third against the Mets.

“It’s locked up on him a little bit,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said before Tuesday’s game at CitiField, per Alex Stumpf of MLB.com. “We tried to work on him. (But), out of the abundance of caution, we will keep him down.”

Defensively, the Pirates didn’t miss a beat. Cruz made a spectacular stop behind second base and a strong throw to get Brett Baty out in the second inning, and Triolo made a fantastic throw across the diamond to beat Baty in the fifth. Offensively, Williams provided the Pirates’ only run, getting a fifth-inning double and scoring on a Bryan Reynolds single. But Triolo and Cruz both went 0 for 4, combining for four strikeouts.

Hayes missed almost the entire month of July last season with lower back inflammation, spending two stints on the 10-day injured list. He explained to TribLive that when his hips aren’t aligned, his body weight isn’t distributed evenly and it causes a throbbing pain in his lower back and left side or can lock up. Hayes found that using insoles helped ease the discomfort but also endures a rigorous pregame routine as a means of prevention.

“I’ve done X, Y and Z when it comes to trying to figure out what can help it stick to where I don’t get out of alignment,” Hayes said, “but we’re strong, powerful athletes so sometimes a body doesn’t like what we’re doing all the time. Once we get to the point where we’re playing every single day, sliding on the ground, stuff is going to happen. I’ve been doing my best to find ways to rebound the next day to where I can feel as close to 100% as I can.”

Hayes has a long history of injuries. He missed two months in 2021 with a left hand/wrist issue, which prevented him from being eligible for Rawlings’ innings requirements for a Gold Glove. His back began bothering him in August 2022, when he was placed on the 10-day injured list with a mid-back strain.

After batting .337 with eight extra-base hits and 13 RBIs in 21 games last June, Hayes played only one game in July and required a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis.

That’s why Hayes made it his goal to be available to play every game this season. This was his first disruption, as Hayes had played in each of the Pirates’ first 17 games. He’s batting .277/.392/.354 with five doubles and seven RBIs and has almost as many walks (12) as strikeouts (13).

Hayes said the back issue affected his performance at the plate last year.

“I ran into a couple things early on that I wouldn’t say got me away from what I like do as a hitter, but some of the injuries I ran into (like) body changes … I had to compensate,” Hayes said. “Over a period of time, you do things one way then you get away from the stuff you do. Then you’re trying to find that again, and you go into a spiral.”

When healthy, Hayes believes he has the potential to be a No. 3 hitter who can bat .300, hit 20 home runs and produce 75-plus RBIs.

“Really I think the biggest thing is being available to play all year,” Hayes said. “I haven’t been available all year in any of my seasons. If I’m able to do that from playing every day, I can reach a lot of those numbers. If I’m in the right spot mentally, physically, I believe I have the capability to do all three of those.”