BALTIMORE -- Big league grass back under his spikes for the first time in two years, Austin Hays had his “legs loose, ready for anything.” On the inside, a jumbled web of emotion, which Hays described as “excitement, nerves, all mixed in.” In his head, a timeless baseball adage that would soon apply.

“The ball definitely finds you when you come off the bench,” said Hays, the Orioles’ No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline.

It immediately rang true for Hays, whose surprise callup on Saturday thrust him smack into the center of the club-wide audition September presents for the Orioles. Just a few hours removed from becoming the latest and likely last of Baltimore’s callups, Hays’ three above-average defensive plays stood out on a night the Orioles found themselves down six early, and ultimately on the wrong end of a 9-4 decision to the Rangers at Oriole Park.

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“The old metaphor holds true,” said Hays, who added, “It was fun to run some balls down tonight.”

The runs were largely the result of a nightmare start from Aaron Brooks, who allowed his first six batters to reach -- and score -- before recording an out. Though the Orioles would claw back with three runs in the bottom of the frame, and inch closer later on a Rio Ruiz homer, the early deficit ultimately proved insurmountable. The loss was the O's seventh in eight games, dropping them 50 games below .500.

But tucked inside a game in which the Orioles committed three errors was Hays, ranging 86 feet back and to his right to take extra bases away from Willie Calhoun in the seventh, diving to his left to rob Nick Solak a batter later, then recovering to glove a Ronald Guzman liner right at him in the eighth. It was a snapshot of the type of athleticism the Orioles have lacked in center for much of the year, and hope to see more of over these final three-plus weeks.

“For me, it’s exciting to bring up young players that have tools,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “You can kind of get a glimpse of what it’s going to look like a few years from now. When we bring up the Austin Hays, Hunter Harveys, Anthony Santanders, that’s exciting for me because I love seeing big-league tools out there. They are going to take their lumps and have tough moments, but you can also see what things can possibly look like moving forward.”

Hyde said Hays will be in the starting lineup on Sunday. Hays figures to see reps at all three outfield spots before heading to the Arizona Fall League at season’s end, and he appears in line to arrive in Sarasota, Fla., next spring with the inside track on the club’s starting center field job.

“This is what I’ve worked the last two years for,” said Hays, who debuted in 2017 but missed chunks of ‘18 and ‘19 due to injuries. “To get back here and be in Camden Yards and play for this team again.”

That opportunity came Saturday, via an unexpected move. Hays was home in eastern Florida as recently as Friday, ticketed for the AFL, where the Orioles figured he’d benefit more from six weeks of at-bats rather than scattered playing times in the Majors. Executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said the club learned this week Hays could do both, thanks to a new rule that allowed 40-man roster players to participate in the AFL even if they appear in the big leagues this month.

“With it being an either-or choice at the time between the fall league and September callups, it was two months of at-bats versus one month, probably with not 100 percent playing time here,” Elias said. “Now the fact that we’re able to do both, it’s kind of the best of both worlds.”

Consider Hays on board, both with the circumstances and the organization’s initial decision not to promote him earlier. He likely would’ve been here sooner, given the Orioles’ season-long need in center field, had a fractured left thumb and hamstring strain not limited him to 87 games this season. Hays also appeared in just 75 in 2018, due to shoulder and right ankle ailments.

All told, Hays hit .242 with 29 homers and a .720 OPS in those 162 contests, mostly at Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk. He hit .329 with 32 homers and a .958 OPS prior to his promotion in 2017, split evenly across Class A Advanced Frederick and Double-A.

"I understood where it came from. I was hurt again this year,” Hays said. “I missed games, and they wanted me to get some more reps and be able to evaluate me that much more. And it was good for my development, so I understood where it was coming from. But I wanted to get back to the big leagues this year, and one way or another, it worked out.”

Back in the clubhouse, Hays allowed his mind to drift back to the last time he was within those four walls. That was September 2017, when, in Hays’ words, “everything went as well as something can possibly go to start your career.” Since then, “it has gone just about as bad,” he said.

“I’ve grown a lot,” Hays said. “Dealing with injuries and failures, and half my games have been rehab games playing at levels I thought I was done with. I’ve grown a lot mentally, physically, my patience with myself – not trying to do too much – just trying to compete at a high level when I’m on the field and having fun with everything.”