Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes appears to be close to a return from injury. Hayes, who has not seen action since June 25, was healthy enough to be seen on the field taking batting practices prior to the series opener at Dodger Stadium against the Los Angeles Dodgers this Monday.

The Pirates put Ke'Bryan Hayes on the 10-day injured list (retroaction to June 25) due to a lower-back issue. In his most recent appearance in a game, he went 1-for-5 with an RBI and a strikeout in a 4-3 loss to the Miami Marlins on the road on June 24.

Hayes — drafted by the Pirates in 2015,  hasn't been doing particularly well at the plate this season, but he at least carries a higher batting average (.254) than he did in 2022 when he hit .244. So far this year, Hayes also has just a .290 on-base percentage and a .397 slugging percentage to go with five home runs and 32 RBI. His strikeout rate is slightly down at 19.8 percent but his walk rate has also decreased to just 5.0 percent from last year's 21.8 K% and 8.6 BB%.

The hope for Ke'Bryan Hayes and the Pirates is that the infielder will be able to find his way back to action before the All-Star break. The Dodgers series will last until Thursday with a three-game set coming after that on the road against the Arizona Diamondbacks to cap the first-half schedule of the Pirates, who are currently occupying the third spot in the National League Central division — behind the Milwaukee Brewers and the Cincinnati Reds.