CINCINNATI ¨C Seeking right-handed offense for the outfield has been a Reds priority throughout this offseason. With less than two weeks before Spring Training opens, they can finally check that box. Cincinnati signed veteran Austin Hays to a one-year contract with a mutual option for 2026, the club announced on Thursday.

The deal is expected to be worth $5 million and includes an extra $1 million in incentives, according to a source, though the team did not confirm the terms. In a corresponding move, the Reds designated right-hander Casey Legumina for assignment.

Hays, 29, was a 2023 All-Star for the Orioles but endured an injury-filled 2024 season that could make him a decent bounce-back candidate for the Reds.

In 85 games last season for the Orioles and Phillies, Hays batted .255 with a .699 OPS, five home runs and 20 RBIs. He dealt with leg injuries, including a hamstring strain, and he also suffered a kidney infection in September.

Baltimore, the team that selected Hays in the third round of the 2016 Draft, traded him to Philadelphia on July 26 for reliever Seranthony Dom¨ªnguez and outfielder Cristian Pache.

In 2023 for the Orioles, Hays batted .275 with a .769 OPS, 16 homers and 67 RBIs in 144 games. His career high for home runs is 22, which was set in 2021.

Hays' arrival balances a left-handed-heavy outfield that features center fielder TJ Friedl, corner outfielders Jake Fraley and Will Benson, and Stuart Fairchild, who bats right-handed and can play all three outfield spots. It also enables Cincinnati to move the versatile Spencer Steer back to the infield after he spent much of last season in left field. Steer also can play third base or first base, where the club currently has unsettled positions.