When will Austin Hays return to face the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park this season?

Spring training is still in full swing, but it's never too early to look ahead to the upcoming regular season for reunions with former Philadelphia Phillies players. The Phillies had some turnover on the roster this offseason, with one of the players who left being outfielder Austin Hays.

After a less-than-stellar stint following a trade deadline deal that can only be described as disappointing, Hays will likely have his return to Citizens Bank Park circled on his schedule with his new club, the Cincinnati Reds. He signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the NL Central Reds at the end of January.

So, when does the 27-year-old make his way back to Philadelphia?

When will Austin Hays return to face the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park this season?

Hays and the Reds will pay a visit to the Phillies from July 4-6 for three games. Hays will no doubt be looking for some revenge after being unceremoniously non-tendered by the Phillies front office. While Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski did say that he liked Hays after acquiring him at the deadline last July, and that he had tried to trade for the 2023 All-Star at previous deadlines, something had to give after the Phillies' poor showing down the stretch and in the postseason.

Hays didn't do himself any favors to earn the chance to stick around, although it's not really his fault. He played only 22 games after the trade, spending time on the IL with a hamstring injury and a freak kidney infection. He never truly had the chance to show the Phillies and the fans what he's all about as a player.

Hays' .256 batting average and .672 OPS in his 80 plate appearances as a Phillie, plus his 0-for-4 showing with three strikeouts in the NLDS sealed his fate. Despite having another year of control over Hays through arbitration this winter, the Phillies needed make some kind of change.

Hays took the first step to proving his doubters wrong with a monster spring training performance last week, going 3-for-3 with a pair of home runs and six RBI in his second Cactus League game. The two homers and six driven in equal what he produced in red pinstripes last year.

While the early offensive explosion might not have Dombrowski and the front office second guessing the move to cut Hays loose, he might have them regretting the decision by the time he rolls into Philly in July.