Tigers outfielder Austin Meadows gained’t return from the injured listing this season, as supervisor A.J. Hinch advised reporters (together with MLB.com’s Jason Beck) this afternoon. Meadows initially was positioned on the injured listing again in April as a result of nervousness, and has been away from the group since June.
It’s been a protracted highway for Meadows because the Pirates chosen him with the ninth general within the 2013 draft. He made his MLB debut in 2018 with Pittsburgh however was traded to the Rays as a part of the Chris Archer deal after simply 165 plate appearances within the majors with the membership that drafted him. As soon as in Tampa, he rapidly rose to prominence as an All Star in 2019, even garnering down-ballot MVP votes due to a sensational .291/.364/.558 slash line throughout 138 video games that season.
Meadows struggled badly through the shortened 2020 season, slashing simply .205/.296/.371 whereas being restricted to 36 video games by an indirect pressure. He bounced again considerably in 2021, posting a 112 wRC+ because the Rays’ on a regular basis left fielder. That stated, he was rated brutally by defensive metrics that season, and mixed with the diminished offense relative to his peak in 2019 he was value simply 1.6 fWAR that season. With Meadows as a result of be eligible for arbitration for the primary time in 2022, the Rays shipped him to Detroit in change for struggling infielder Isaac Parades earlier than the season started.
Whereas Parades has taken off with the Rays, Meadows has made it into simply 42 video games with Detroit because the commerce. He was restricted to simply 36 video games of league common offense (100 wRC+) with the Tigers final yr as a result of vertigo. Meadows then managed simply six video games this yr earlier than heading to the injured listing. General, the 28-year-old outfielder has slashed simply .248/.333/.322 in 168 journeys to the plate since first suiting up for the Tigers. With Meadows doubtless due for a elevate on his $4.3MM wage in his ultimate journey via arbitration this offseason and the Tigers flush with younger outfield expertise like Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, and Meadows’ youthful brother Parker Meadows, it’s truthful to marvel if Detroit will contemplate non-tendering the elder Meadows brother this offseason, permitting him to hit free company reasonably than retaining him for the 2024 marketing campaign.
That being stated, Hinch’s feedback indicated nothing however help for Meadows as he works via his struggles. As relayed by MLB.com, Hinch stated that “We have now to proceed to be supportive of him and others which can be going via experiences that none of us actually know until you’ve accomplished it… And so, reasonably than decide him, we have to help him, and we’ve continued to try this as a company. We are going to proceed to do it.”
