When Minnesota Twins first baseman Donovan Solano’s knee collided with Austin Hays’ left hip Sunday, the Orioles’ outfielder feared for the worst.
Hours after learning he was a first-time All-Star, Hays exited the game with a bruise, saying Thursday the “good news was kind of short-lived.” But despite having not played since Sunday, Hays said the injury won’t keep him from competing in the All-Star Game. In fact, he’ll start it.
With fan vote winners Aaron Judge and Mike Trout on the injured list, Hays will be one of the American League’s starting outfielders in Tuesday night’s Midsummer Classic at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park alongside the Texas Rangers’ Adolis García and the Tampa Bay Rays’ Randy Arozarena. The 28-year-old Hays is hitting .312, tied for the second-best average in the AL, with an .843 OPS.
“Just a lot of excitement,” Hays said Friday in the Orioles’ clubhouse at Target Field. “Just really excited to be able to wear this team’s name on my chest out there to start the All-Star Game.”
Hays was out of Friday’s lineup, his fifth straight absence, but both he and manager Brandon Hyde said they expect him to return Saturday after he took batting practice on the field and did various fielding drills. Hyde learned Friday morning Hays would start the All-Star Game, but with the team getting into Minnesota late at night, he didn’t want to wake up Hays.
“I texted him, ‘Please call me as soon as you can,’ and ‘Are you up?’” Hyde said. “Then we talked on the phone. That was a really great feeling to tell him the awesome news.”
Hays will be the Orioles’ second All-Star starter in three years, with Cedric Mullins also serving as an injury replacement for Trout in 2021. Baltimore has three other representatives this year in catcher Adley Rutschman and relievers Félix Bautista and Yennier Cano.
Rutschman will also take part in Monday’s Home Run Derby. Teammates of participants will often provide them a mid- or post-round beverage, and the Orioles’ various celebrations this season — notably and — have had a focus on hydration. Hays said he has plans in mind for that role should Rutschman need him.
“I got some stuff cooking,” he quipped.
All four were selected as All-Stars via player and coach voting, with Rutschman a finalist to start the game via fan voting but losing to Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim despite comfortably winning the first phase of fan voting and receiving more player votes. Bautista and Cano ranked first and third, respectively, among AL relievers. Hays earned the sixth-most player votes among AL outfielders, and with Houston’s Yordan Alvarez also injured, he leaped into the top three who are healthy and thus will start.
Hays finished 14th in the first round of fan voting, with a displeased Hyde frequently pushing for him to be an All-Star.
“That’s what for me is so cool, that the players from the league have recognized the kind of half he’s had and what he’s done so far this first half,” Hyde said. “I wanted to put his name out there as much as I could from the fan perspective and from media, but the players obviously recognized that. When you’re recognized like that from your peers, that means a lot.”
Hays said spending time with those peers is what he’s most looking forward to about All-Star week.
“Just getting to be around all the other guys that are on other teams that I never really get to share a clubhouse with,” he said. “You always see them on the other side and you greet each other, acknowledge each other, but you never actually get to share a clubhouse. I think actually getting to do that for the first time will be a lot of fun for me.”
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