Pirates GM expects Hayes to return this week

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington expects third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes to return to the big leagues on Thursday against the Miami Marlins, according to MLB.com's Jake Crouse.

The 24-year-old infielder hasn't played in the majors since April 3 due to a wrist injury, which landed him on the 60-day injured list.

The Pirates were playing it safe with the recovery of their top prospect, who has played well during his rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis (1.064 OPS in six games) after recovering from a setback earlier this month.

"Once we got as far out from the injury as we have, and it's going to be two months or whatever, we just felt like we really needed to have almost a spring training progression," Cherington said. "The last thing we wanted to do was sort of rush him back and then something else happens because his body was just not ready."

The 2015 first-round pick entered this season as a front-runner for National League Rookie of the Year after a stellar 2020 campaign, where he slashed .376/.442/.682 with five homers and 11 RBIs in 24 games.