PHILADELPHIA — It’s been a hectic September for Austin Hays, spent much less frequently than he would’ve liked on a baseball field. Through a kidney infection and back pain and a settling-in process in Philadelphia interrupted by a separate hamstring injury in August, Hays has battled the clock to be part of the Phillies’ postseason. At a workout Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park, the outfielder seems to have won that race, declaring himself ready and pain-free ahead of Saturday’s National League Division Series opener. “It was kind of a scare there for a little while, not knowing if I was going to be able to get rehab games in before the Triple A season was over, not knowing if I was going to be able to make it back for the end of the season,” Hays said. “The fact that I was able to go through a full rehab stint and come back and play some games and feel really good, get some good swings on the ball, and felt really good on defense, too, so I’m really excited for the playoffs.” Hays’ status is vital for how the Phillies construct their approach to whichever team survives the Wild Card Series, either the NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers or the New York Mets, to open the postseason in South Philly on Saturday. Even with Hays ready, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said the club is leaning toward carrying 14 position players and 12 pitchers for the five-game NLDS, with the option to go 13 and 13. Hays’ clean bill of health requires less of a hedge. And it allows a chance to see why he was acquired at the deadline from Baltimore, the righty giving a left-handed heavy lineup more options if they encounter left-handed starters. The decision of an outfield rotation will ultimately be up to manager Rob Thomson. Against right-handed pitching, Brandon Marsh will start in either center or left. But Hays allows for a more potent lineup than the defense-first Johan Rojas in center and Marsh in left. The Mets have two left-handed starters, the Brewers none. “We did think that he could play every day when we acquired, but we really believe that he can hit left-handed pitching,” Dombrowski said. “And so dependent upon who we play and who we face, that could be an extremely important part of our ballclub, which we were looking at the trade deadline, saying, hey, if we get to this part, we could use one more good right-handed bat. So I think he has a chance to really be valuable for us at this time of the year.” Hays has only played three games in the last month. In 22 games since being brought over from the Orioles, he has a .256 average with two homers and six RBIs. His health bolsters the bench. Were they to go with 14 position players, it would mean a bench of Hays/Rojas, Edmundo Sosa, Kody Clemens and likely Weston Wilson to go with backup catcher Garrett Stubbs. Wilson, as a righty who can hit lefties, would overlap with Hays. In both case, they have the option to pinch hit for the light-hitting Rojas in a big spot or to counter a bullpen pitting a tough lefty against Marsh. None of them have been terribly effective of late, Wilson hitting .206 in September and slugging just .294. Clemens has two homers and a .192 average in September. That would seem to leave the door wide open for Hays to be the impact player that Phillies sought at the deadline, to be the player who cranked 22 homers in 2022 and was named an All-Star in 2023. Hays would settle for a steady run of games. He went on the injured list Sept. 1, then got back in time for two rehab games at the end of the Lehigh Valley season. He went 3-for-11 with a homer in three games to end the season with the Phillies, though back pain slowed him in the final week of the season. Given that he rushed to get back, the five days off between Sunday’s finale and Saturday’s playoff opener is a chance to reset and finish the process. Hays, who went through a bye last year with Baltimore, is getting his reps in, working on high velocity machines and doing outfield work. “We had to rush a little bit just to make sure that I got back and got at-bats and got in games,” he said. “So that was a good little reset there. And then we’ve got this five-day break to just have everything be fresh and ready to go.” NOTES >> The Phillies had a workout Tuesday and will play a simulated game Wednesday, the clubhouse breaking into two teams. While the Phillies decided against having fans in the building, they’ll try to time inning breaks and use the scoreboard as though it’s a real game. Among those scheduled to get work are Spencer Turnbull and the others auditioning for the 12th pitcher role on the roster. “The constant message was, you really need to work with intensity,” Dombrowski said. “You can’t just come back and show up.” … Thursday is an optional workout before on-field workouts Friday for the Phillies and their opponent.