Tigers heart fielder Parker Meadows has halted baseball actions as a result of a nerve drawback in his higher proper arm, supervisor A.J. Hinch advised reporters (together with MLive.com’s Evan Woodbery). It’s unclear at this level if Meadows will probably be prepared for the beginning of the season as a result of what Hinch famous because the fluid nature of the harm.
“My understanding is that we’re in a wait-and-see state of affairs,” Hinch stated. “Now we have to get that nerve firing once more for [Meadows] to renew baseball actions. It could possibly be short-term, or it may linger just a little. Nobody has a agency timeline, however we really feel like we’re on path now that we now have a analysis and a remedy plan.”
After hitting .232/.331/.368 over 145 plate appearances throughout his 2023 rookie season, Meadows took one other step ahead by batting .244/.310/.433 in 298 PA final yr, with the rise in slugging proportion fueling his soar from a 95 wRC+ in 2023 to a 111 wRC+ in 2024. Nevertheless, the development didn’t come easily as Meadows hit so poorly over the primary six weeks that the Tigers demoted him to Triple-A in early Might and didn’t recall him till early July. Upon returning to the Present, Meadows virtually instantly picked up a hamstring harm that put him on the injured listing for one more month.
Meadows was activated from the 10-day IL on Aug. 3 and hit a powerful .296/.340/.500 with six homers over his closing 201 PA of the season whereas enjoying just about each day in heart discipline. Between this manufacturing on the plate and his glorious glovework, Meadows was one of many key drivers of the late-season surge that noticed the Tigers go from deadline sellers to a wild-card berth. Meadows then stored it getting into October, batting .269/.345/.462 in 29 PA throughout Detroit’s playoff run.
If Meadows can proceed this kind of offense, along with his robust protection and baserunning, the previous second-round choose tasks as a cornerstone for a Tigers staff that has emerged from its rebuilding. The plan was for Meadows to be the on a regular basis heart fielder once more, although this nerve drawback may throw a wrench within the works.
Riley Greene or Wenceel Perez are the likeliest candidates to deal with heart discipline if Meadows does have to miss time, however the extra vital problem is that the Tigers could all of a sudden have a scarcity of outfield depth. Information broke Friday that utilityman Matt Vierling will begin the season on the IL whereas recovering from a rotator cuff pressure, leaving the Tigers with out a participant projected to get enjoying time at both third base or proper discipline (or a combination of each positions). If Meadows’ nerve drawback units him again sufficient that he’ll additionally have to hit the injured listing, utilitymen Zach McKinstry or Andy Ibanez will get extra enjoying time in some capability, and Detroit may additionally make the most of Kerry Carpenter in proper discipline each time a right-handed pitcher is on the mound.
