Pirates' Ke'Bryan Hayes Addresses Chronic Back Issues
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes is excited for the 2025 season and looking to get back to his best self for the upcoming campaign.
Hayes struggled throughout the 2024 season with back issues, heading to the Injured List twice, including in mid-August, which kept him out the rest of the campaign.
His back made it difficult for him not just to stay on the field, but also hurt his production. He had a slash line of .233/.283/.290, nine doubles, four homers and 25 RBIs, all the worst numbers in his career so far.
Hayes went to Los Angeles and met with Dr. Robert Watkins IV, a renowned orthopedic spine surgeon, who created the Backdoor App, that allows Hayes to follow a structured program to work on his back issues.
He spoke to reporters at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla., where he is ahead of Spring Training. He said that while his back issues are chronic, he's worked hard to get back to a much healthier state that he was in before last season.
“For the most part, I’m pain free," Hayes said. "It’s not 100%. Like I’m never gonna be, pre-how I felt, but if I can keep it to where it’s manageable to where, almost how I was feeling in 23’ at the end of the year. For the most part, day-to-day, like, I was feeling close to that 100%.
"So with the injury I have, it’s chronic. It’s not something that’s ever going to go away. It’s just how good can I manage it where my symptoms are pretty much non-existent.
"That’s the challenge that I have and this offseason, I pretty much dedicated everything to, anything I could do as far as recovery stuff. Diet, all that and that’s just something that I’m just going to continue to hit on the head with a nail, everyday."
Pirates 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes hopes his chronic back issues are behind him pic.twitter.com/eSG4AOwjOz
— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) February 12, 2025
Hayes had a solid 2023 campaign, winning a National League Gold Glove for his defense and slashing 271/.309/.453 with 15 home runs, 61 RBIs, 31 doubles and seven triples.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington saw Hayes as one of the best at his position in 2022 and 2023 and that if Hayes plays like that in 2025, he'll have a big impact on the team.
“It’s big, you know, you can look at it on paper, you can look at it in other ways," Cherington said. "In ‘22 and ‘23, he was, clearly, in our eyes, one of the most valuable third basemen in the game.
"All in, put the defense and the offense and the baserunning together, add it all up, he’s very clearly one of the most valuable third basemen in the game in ’22 and ’23 and last year was a grind for him. If we’re getting something closer to ’22 and ’23, that’s going to make a big impact on the team.”
Pirates GM Ben Cherington on the difference of what having a healthy Ke’Bryan Hayes would mean to the team. pic.twitter.com/w7NKOaeUuD
— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) February 12, 2025
Pirates manager Derek Shelton saw Hayes try to grind through those back issues, but that he wants Hayes healthy for the 2025 season and that it is a top priority with the talent he has.
Shelton also watched Hayes in the batting cage and loved his swing, that he described as "unrestricted" and "free", which will allow him to rotate more and get more power on balls he hits.
“It’s extremely important,” Shelton said on getting Hayes back. “I mean, the fact that, the way he looks and as hard as he’s worked. I mean, I’m sure he touched on the offseason, the back and core program that he’s been on. It even dates to last year, being on the IL at the end of the year and really appreciate how serious he took the issue because if you can’t rotate, it’s really challenging.
“I think we’ve seen, when Ke’ is healthy, how he provides on both sides of the ball. I’ve never shied away from thinking he’s one of, if not the best, defenders in baseball. And, offensively, when he’s been healthy, we’ve seen that he can produce. To see him in camp, to see the way his body looks, it’s really encouraging.”
Pirates manager Derek Shelton on the importance of having a healthy Ke’Bryan Hayes and what he’s seen of his swing. pic.twitter.com/M2QhaOFPxn
— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) February 12, 2025
