‘Would have been nice to play another year’ with Phillies

Austin Hays stood at second base, the center of the storm, and thought about what might have been.

Hays was under team control through this season when he got traded to the Phillies last July. But injury (a hamstring strain) and illness (a kidney infection) conspired against him. He started only 21 of 58 games after the trade, then wasn’t offered a contract in the offseason.

So, when Hays banged an RBI double off the right-field wall Friday in the third inning of the Reds’ 9-6 victory over the Phillies, the possibilities came flooding back.

» READ MORE: Trade deadline preview: Dave Dombrowski on the Phillies’ biggest roster needs and their X-factor

“Fourth of July, sellout crowd, the energy of the stadium was exactly what I remember,” Hays said Saturday before the holiday weekend series continued. “That’s kind of what I thought about. Like man, the games here were so fun at home. Always sold out. Having a full year of that, being healthy, would have been really exciting. But things didn’t work out.”

Not for the Phillies, at least.

Hays, who turned 30 Saturday, landed on his feet with the Reds. He signed a $5 million contract — half of what the Phillies paid Max Kepler — and was batting .281 with seven homers and an .853 OPS as the Reds’ everyday left fielder.

(Kepler, 32, who starts in left field against righties, was batting .210 with 10 homers and a .685 OPS.)

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Friday that the team’s interest in bringing back Hays was outweighed by questions about whether he could bounce back. Hays was hospitalized by the kidney infection last September, and although he returned, he wasn’t at full strength.

“That was the most difficult thing I’d gone through in my career,“ Hays said. ”Just a really, really challenging time for me. I was hoping [the Phillies] would have confidence in me taking the offseason and getting my body ready.

“But they saw how sick I was and how difficult it was for me and how much I went through. There’s a risk in that for the next season, and I think they just didn’t want to take that risk that maybe I’d have some lingering effects of what went on with the kidney.

“I was hoping that I’d get to be back because I love the clubhouse over there. There’s a lot of really good players over there, guys with 10 years in the big leagues and multiple guys that are probably going to be Hall of Famers, so it would have been nice to play another year with them.”

» READ MORE: One-stop shopping at the trade deadline: Three teams that could be a match for Phillies’ biggest needs

Ironically, the Phillies could be shopping for a righty-hitting outfielder at this trade deadline, too, although the bullpen remains their top priority.

If you’re wondering, no, Hays isn’t expected to be available. Not with the pitching-rich Reds firmly in the mix for a wild card under future Hall of Fame manager Terry Francona.

“I still feel like I’ve got a lot of really good years in me as an everyday player,” Hays said. “With everything that happened last year, to be in the situation that I’m in, I’m happy with where I’m at. I feel like I was forced into free agency a year earlier than I thought I was going to be. But I feel like I made the right choice. We’ve got something special going on over here.”

Hey now, you’re an All-Star

Although the Phillies were shut out in fan voting to start the All-Star Game, several players are expected to be named to the National League roster Sunday.

Zack Wheeler, second in the league with a 2.27 ERA, is a shoo-in and could end up being the NL’s starting pitcher. (The All-Star Game will be played in Atlanta, Wheeler’s hometown.) He could be joined on the NL pitching staff by Ranger Suárez or fellow lefty Cristopher Sánchez.

Among position players, Kyle Schwarber is third in the NL with 27 homers. Trea Turner has made a strong case, too, but shortstop is loaded, with Elly De La Cruz (Reds) and CJ Abrams (Nationals) also meriting consideration behind starter Francisco Lindor (Mets).

» READ MORE: Zack Wheeler eyes All-Star start in Atlanta as Phillies rotation skips his hometown

Extra bases

After the final out Friday, NBC Sports Philadelphia cameras caught Nick Castellanos shouting and gesturing to a fan behind the Phillies’ dugout. Thomson said the fan made a comment to Bryson Stott, who fouled out to end the game, and “his teammates were protecting him.” … Mick Abel is scheduled to start Thursday for triple-A Lehigh Valley. Abel got sent down Friday after allowing nine runs in 4⅔ innings over his last two starts. He had a 5.04 ERA in six starts overall. … Wheeler (8-3, 2.27 ERA) is scheduled to start the series finale at 1:35 p.m. Sunday against Reds rookie Chase Burns (0-1, 13.50).