The microstructure-based hardening model (Beyerlein and Tomé, 2007), that accounts for the dislocation reversal-related mechanisms and the cut-through effect, is extended to HCP metals. This model, which is embedded in the visco-plastic self-consistent framework, is applied in this work to predict the mechanical response of Zn alloy during strain path change. The predicted mechanical behavior and texture evolution during pre-loading and reloading is in good agreement with experimental observations. The change in hardening behavior after reloading is well reproduced by this model. The contributions of the different mechanisms are also analyzed.