Center fielder Parker Meadows hasn't played for the Detroit Tigers since July 27, but he is ready to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo.
WEST SACRAMENTO, CA — Center fielder Parker Meadows hasn't played for the Detroit Tigers since July 27, but he is ready to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo.
The Tigers cleared Meadows to join the Mud Hens on Wednesday, Aug. 27, after he completed his final running test Tuesday, Aug. 26, passing the full-speed test.
The Mud Hens are hosting the St. Paul Saints, the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, this week at Fifth Third Field, with Meadows set to play Wednesday in the second of six games in the series.
"He will have a schedule this week," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said before Tuesday's game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. "We'll go day by day to see how much activity level he has and how much he can handle, which is great."
For the Tigers in 2025, Meadows is hitting .200 with two home runs, 12 walks and 40 strikeouts in 38 games, posting a .566 OPS. The 25-year-old has been worth minus-2 defensive runs saved across 305⅓ innings in center field.
His season has been derailed by two injuries, including a musculocutaneous nerve injury in his right arm during spring training that forced him to miss the first 60 games of the season.
It's unclear when Meadows will return to the Tigers.
"We need to get him out playing the field," Hinch said. "We need him running around freely. He had a great (running) test today. He's ready to go."
The Tigers are expected to add one pitcher and one position player when MLB rosters expand Sept. 1 from 26 to 28, making Meadows a potential candidate to join them then.
However, the Tigers probably wouldn't think twice about demoting shortstop Trey Sweeney to activate Meadows, whether that happens before or after Sept. 1. When Meadows is healthy as the everyday center fielder, Javier Báez is the starter at shortstop and Zach McKinstry is his backup at, leaving Sweeney at the third-stringer on the depth chart.
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This story will be updated.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Parker Meadows injury update: Detroit Tigers begin rehab assignment
Category: Baseball