Cincinnati Reds Austin Hays, Jeimer Candelario near returns from IL

ST. LOUIS – Reinforcements are on the way for the Cincinnati Reds lineup as they prepare for a tough homestand this week against the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres.
Left fielder Austin Hays, the Reds' best hitter this season when he's been healthy, said he's 'very' close to returning from a bone bruise in his left foot after testing the foot in drills in recent days.
Jeimer Candelario celebrates a run-scoring single in the season opener (with first base coach Collin Cowgill). Candelario has been on the injured list since the end of April and is set to join the Reds in Cincinnati on Monday.
And Jeimer Candelario, the $45 million corner infielder who has spent most of his 1 1/2 years as a Red on the injured list, is done with his minor-league rehab assignment after Saturday's game with Triple-A Louisville and is scheduled to join the team in Cincinnati when the Reds open a three-game series against the Yankees on Monday.
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Candelario has been on the IL since the end of April because of a lumbar spine strain. He was hitting .259 with a home run and .791 OPS in 16 games at two minor-league stops during his rehab stint (entering Saturday's game).
He's just 9-for-80 (.113) with 29 strikeouts in 22 big-league games this year.
Austin Hays, shown batting in May, has been one of the Reds' best hitters when healthy, batting .303 with six home runs in 31 games.
Hays has made quick progress since returning to activities this past week following a shutdown because of persistent pain in the foot he hurt when he fouled a pitch off it May 28 in Kansas City.
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'We were starting to get better and then just hit a plateau, and I was trying to push through it, and I think I was just pissing it off more,' he said. 'The first day of running (after the brief shutdown) I felt significantly better. So I think that was what I needed to do.
'I'm feeling really good now.'
Hays, who's hitting .303 with six home runs in 31 games, will need at least a quick minor-league rehab assignment before the Reds activate him, Francona said.
That could come this week.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds Austin Hays, Jeimer Candelario near returns from IL

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