New Cincinnati Reds third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes hasn't done much with his bat this season, but he has been a game-changer with his glove.

In the second inning of Cincinnati's game on Monday against the Philadelphia Phillies, Hayes had an absolute gem of a play to get J.T. Realmuto out at first base.

Realmuto ripped a pitch from Reds starter Andrew Abbott down the third base line only for Hayes to make a diving stop that took him into foul territory, almost far enough back to be on the outfield grass rather than the infield dirt. He then hurried to his feet and fired the ball to first baseman Spencer Steer to get a hustling Realmuto.

The play was so great it even fooled the camera operator, who spent a split-second following the ball into the outfield before realizing it was actually in Hayes' glove.

Hayes, who isn't known for having the strongest arm in the league, hit Steer with the throw on the fly.

Hayes has only one full season in his Major League career with an OPS+ above the league average (103 in 2023), but he has made his name as an excellent third baseman. The former Gold Glove winner grades in the 99th percentile this season in outs above average, per Baseball Savant, giving him a fielding run value in the 97th percentile.

The Reds acquired him at the trade deadline in a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates for Taylor Rogers, minor leaguer Sammy Stafura and cash. Though Hayes said he would have been OK spending his entire career in Pittsburgh, the Reds have been welcoming since the trade.

“They’ve made the transition pretty easy for me and some of the guys I already knew from playing over the years and some I knew from talking to them in games, playing in the division a lot,” he said, per Dominic Campbell of On SI. “It’s been great over here and they’ve welcomed me with big arms.”

Cincinnati entered play on Monday with a 62-57 record, putting them 1.5 games behind the New York Mets for the final National League wild card spot.

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