During the offseason, the Philadelphia Phillies decided to move on from Austin Hays, their big trade deadline acquisition, believing that he probably wasn’t the answer to their outfield situation. Instead, the Phillies landed former Minnesota Twins slugger Max Kepler in free agency, hoping that he would finally be their outfield solution.

However, the Phillies may already be regretting their move after a monstrous performance from Hays in the Cincinnati Reds’ Cactus League game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday. The 29-year-old outfielder went 3-for-3 with a double, two home runs and a whopping six RBI. More significantly, two of the hits came with two outs, giving the Reds an early glimpse of what he can do in the clutch.

Austin Hays has 2 HR and 6 (!) RBI today 😱 #SpringTraining pic.twitter.com/ZHSjtmy8ci

— MLB (@MLB) February 24, 2025

Austin Hays’ monster game matched his home run and RBI totals with the Phillies

Yes, it may have only been just a spring training game, but after an underwhelming 2024 campaign, Hays is looking to make a statement right from the get-go that his offensive prowess is officially back and better than ever. With that performance though, it just baffles the Phillies and their fans as they wonder where that was during his tenure with the club.

Philadelphia acquired Hays from the Baltimore Orioles at the trade deadline last season with hopes that he would provide that much-needed boost down the stretch and into the playoffs. However, he ended up compiling a disappointing .256 average and .672 OPS, along with just eight runs scored, two home runs and six RBI in 22 games played. So ironically, Hays actually matched those home run and RBI totals in just one preseason game with the Reds.

To be fair, the Phillies never really got a full assessment of what Hays could contribute, as he ended up spending the bulk of the time on the injured list during those final two months of 2024. Added to his negligible performance during the playoffs, Philadelphia was quick to rid themselves of the experiment upon the season’s end.

But right now, Hays has taken full advantage of his fresh start with a new club and a clean bill of health entering 2025. If Monday’s performance is any indication of what is to come for the seven-year veteran, the Phillies could end up regretting their rash decision even more. They may have unknowingly let go of what could have turned out to be the perfect fit for their lineup. All they had to do was to be patient enough to give Hays the proper chance to show himself. But that impatience could now end up coming back to haunt them big time.