BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Ke’Bryan Hayes is not entirely pain free. The Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman knows he may never be.

Yet the doubt that crept into the former Gold Glove winner last fall as he tried to rehab from a chronic lower-back issue that limited him to just 97 games in 2024 has been replaced by optimism.

While Hayes may never be “100%” again, Hayes is confident he can get pretty close.

“I think for us to be a good team, I have to be that special at my position,” Hayes said Wednesday. “Playing third base, you have to be a guy that can drive the ball. Whether it be just doubles or home runs, that’s part of my job. I think for us to be a good team and get into the playoffs, I have to do that.”

Pittsburgh, which did little in free agency to bolster an offense that finished near the bottom of the majors in every major category, is heavily invested in Hayes returning to form. The Pirates sent him to Dr. Robert Watkins in Los Angeles, who told Hayes he needed to strengthen his core muscles to take some of the pressure off his back.

The learning curve on the exercises Watkins asked Hayes to do was steep.

“I was like ‘Man, I don’t know if this is going to work,'” Hayes said. “Because some of the stuff I’m doing, I just had to trust it and pay close attention.”