Tigers' Austin Meadows: Tallies three hits Opening Day
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Meadows went 3-for-4 with a double in Thursday's 4-0 loss to the Rays.
Meadows had half of Detroit's hits as Shane McClanahan mostly cruised through the lineup. The Tigers may struggle all season to generate offense, which could limit the fantasy upside of Meadows. Still, it's good to see the outfielder get off to a strong start, and he may be able to move up in the order in the near future after hitting sixth on Thursday.
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Tigers' Austin Meadows: Slow start to spring
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Meadows went 0-for-3 in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals and is now batting just .188 this spring.
Meadows has only three hits in 16 at-bats so far, though on a positive note, he's only struck out once. The outfielder batted .250 with a .675 OPS in 36 games last season, as Achilles and mental health issues kept him out of game action for significant stretches. Meadows had 27 home runs, 106 RBI and a .773 OPS back in 2021 with Tampa Bay, so he'll be looking to get back to that form this year in his second campaign with the Tigers. Simply staying on the field will be a big step in the right direction.
Meadows, who dealt with numerous injuries during the 2022 year, told reporters on Monday that he's ready for the start of the 2023 season, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
On top of dealing with Achilles issues last summer, Meadows also dealt with vertigo while also battling his own anxiety and mental health. The outfielder struggled after being traded to the Tigers from the Rays in 2022 when he was on the field with a .675 OPS, no homers and zero steals over 147 plate appearances. He's not long removed from being one of the best young outfielders in the sport, so assuming good health, he very well could be an effective option for the Tigers and potentially fantasy managers in 2023.
Tigers' Austin Meadows: Reaches deal to avoid arbitration
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Meadows agreed to a one-year contract with the Tigers on Friday, avoiding arbitration.
Detroit will keep Meadows around at north of $4 million in 2023. Meadows appeared in just 36 games last season around mental health struggles and injuries, finishing the year on the IL with strains to both of his Achilles' tendons. He should have a normal offseason and the expectation is that Meadows will be the starter in either right field or left on Opening Day.
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Tigers' Austin Meadows: Clear of Achilles issues
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The Tigers announced Tuesday that Meadows (Achilles) is healthy and participating in his normal offseason program, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
Meadows played in only 36 games in 2022 and missed the final four months of the campaign due to strains in both of his Achilles' tendons and mental health issues. The 27-year-old struggled at the plate when available and finished his first year in Detroit with a .675 OPS and zero home runs in 147 plate appearances. He tentatively lines up to open 2023 as the Tigers' starting right fielder, though that role is hardly secure.
The Tigers transferred Meadows (Achilles) to the 60-day injured list Sunday.
The transaction is merely procedural, as Meadows has already missed more than 60 days while recovering from strains of both Achilles' tendons. After being pulled off his rehab assignment in mid-August, Meadows hadn't resumed full activities before he disclosed in a post on his personal Twitter account Friday that he won't be returning to action in 2022. He ends his first season in Detroit with zero home runs, zero stolen bases, 11 RBI and nine runs in 36 games with the club.
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Tigers' Austin Meadows: Won't return this season
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Meadows (Achilles) announced Friday that he won't be returning this season while he works through some mental health struggles.
Meadows' first year in Detroit didn't go anything close to how he would have hoped. He dealt with vertigo and battled COVID-19 before dealing with bilateral tendinitis in his Achilles tendons. He revealed Friday that he'd been battling mental health issues alongside those physical problems. He's been back in the clubhouse for the past few weeks but won't attempt to get back on the field, instead continuing to work on his mental health in preparation for next season.
Tigers' Austin Meadows: Not yet doing full activity
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Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Meadows (Achilles) took part in a workout at Comerica Park on Tuesday, but the 27-year-old remains without a timeline to return from the 10-day injured list, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports. "We're still sorting through a game plan for him. We have not ramped him up to full activity," Hinch said of Meadows.
Meadows has been on the shelf since June 17, first on account of a positive COVID-19 test before he was diagnosed with strains of both of his Achilles' tendons just over a week later. He started up a rehab assignment with Triple-A on Aug. 10, only to return to Detroit after playing in four games when he experienced a setback. He's made limited progress over the subsequent two weeks and still doesn't appear particularly close to a return, making it far from a certainty that Meadows is cleared to play before the end of the season. He's played in just 36 games during his inaugural campaign in Detroit, batting .250 with no home runs or stolen bases over 147 plate appearances.
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Tigers' Austin Meadows: Pulled off rehab assignment
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Meadows (Achilles) was removed from his rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday and will return to Detroit to be re-evaluated, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Meadows began the rehab stint last week and appeared in four games, but something apparently feels off and he'll rejoin the big-league club for further evaluation. The 27-year-old has been sidelined by strain in both Achilles' tendons since mid-June, and it appears his return timeline is being pushed back again.
Meadows (Achilles) is expected to report to Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday to begin a rehab assignment, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Meadows completed some on-field hitting and baserunning Tuesday and appears to have demonstrated enough progress from his left and right Achilles' tendon strains to put his health to the test in a game setting. According to Woodbery, the Tigers plan on having Meadows serve as a designated hitter in his first rehab start before gradually getting exposure to right field, where he should play on a near-everyday basis whenever he's cleared to return from the 10-day injured list. Since Meadows has been out of commission for just under two months, Woodbery speculates that the 27-year-old will stay in the minors for 7-to-10 days before making his return to the Detroit lineup.
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Tigers' Austin Meadows: Hits on field Monday
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Meadows (Achilles) was spotted taking batting practice Monday in Minnesota, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Meadows has recently been conducting his rehab for his left and right Achilles' tendon strains at the Tigers' complex Florida, but he joined the team for its road series in Minnesota so the training and coaching staff could get a better handle on whether he's fit to begin a minor-league rehab assignment. In addition to taking BP, Meadows would likely need to prove that his Achilles injuries don't limit him on the bases or in the outfield before the Tigers send him out to a minor-league affiliate.
