Orioles outfielder Austin Hays ‘day-to-day’ after suffering right hand injury vs. Red Sox

Orioles left fielder Austin Hays left Tuesday night’s game against the Boston Red Sox after the third inning with a bruised right hand, which seemingly stemmed from a failed bunt attempt in the bottom half of that frame.

Initial X-rays did not show any breaks, the Orioles said, and Hays will undergo further testing.

“We caught a break there with the X-rays being negative, so that’s great news,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “It’s day-to-day. It’s obviously really sore. I think we got lucky.”

With the Orioles trailing 7-0, Hays attempted to bunt on an 88 mph sinker from Boston right-hander Corey Kluber, but the pitch tailed in and hit the fingers of Hays’ right hand, which were wrapped around the bat, before the ball went foul. Hays flied out to deep right field on the next pitch before being replaced in left by Terrin Vavra for the top of the fourth.

Before Tuesday, Hays had played in the outfield for all but eight of the Orioles’ defensive innings this season, including manning left field for every frame at Camden Yards. Hays has also been among Baltimore’s most impactful hitters; his flyout left him with a .301 batting average and .883 OPS. He hit the go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning in Monday night’s 5-4 comeback win over Boston.

In Hays’ place, Vavra went 2-for-3. He singled amid a five-run ninth inning that wasn’t enough to overcome Baltimore’s early deficit as the Orioles’ seven-game winning streak ended with an 8-6 loss.

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