Well we have some good news, and some bad news.
So we have some good news and some bad news. The good is that center fielder extraordinaire, Parker Meadows, has finally been cleared to begin a throwing program that will begin his process of returning to full baseball activity. The bad, is that after Jason Foley went on the injured list on Friday, and Beau Brieske followed with an ankle injury, now RHP John Brebbia has joined them on the 15-day injured list with a right triceps strain. RHP Brenan Hanifee was recalled for Brieske. LHP Bailey Horn has been recalled from Triple-A Toledo in Brebbia’s place.
In terms of pitching, the Tigers have enjoyed good health this spring. However, the injury bug comes for all pitching staffs eventually. Brebbia has been a stabilizing presence in the bullpen early on, but triceps injuries and pitchers don’t go together very well. Any muscle strain for a pitcher can turn into a lengthy stint on the injured list, so we’ll just have to hope for the best in Brebbia’s case.
Bailey Horn was acquired in a cash deal from the St. Louis Cardinals back in mid-March. The former White Sox and Cubs prospect ended the 2024 season with the Boston Red Sox . Now 27 years old, the lefty has had a bit of success but hasn’t been able to establish himself at the major league level. He’s about to get another chance.
So far, Horn is off to an uninspiring start with the Toledo Mud Hens. He holds a 6.48 ERA with a 5.34 FIP in five appearances totaling 8 1⁄3 innings of work. He’s been striking out his share of hitters, but the control issues that have always plagued him show no sign of being resolved.
Horn featured a fourseam fastball at 93.9 mph. He’ll also mix in a cutter and less often, a sinker. His main breaking ball is an 83.3 mph average sweeper with a pretty good spin rate. In the early going for the Mud Hens, the fastballs are still getting most of the whiffs. Horn’s riding fourseamer and cutter pair together well and get a good amount of swing and miss. The problem remains consistently locating everything. We’ll see if Chris Fetter and his assistants can finally be the ones to sort Horn out.
The recall of Horn may have some implications for veteran lefty Andrew Chafin as well. The gregarious southpaw holds a 3.52 ERA and a 2.49 FIP and has outpitched Horn handily in the early going. The fact that he didn’t get the call here despite out pitching Horn may be a sign that the Tigers aren’t really feeling it anymore. On the other hand, at the end of the month, Chafin will have the right to opt out of his deal and test free agency if he’s not recalled to the active roster. The Tigers may have just wanted a look at Horn, who has a 40-man roster spot already, before the decision on Chafin will need to be made.
The loss of Foley as well is poorly timed as the veteran right-hander was pitching pretty well in Toledo despite not recovering his high 90’s velocity. There aren’t really any other strong contenders to come up and help the bullpen just yet. Tyler Owens is probably the most likely candidate, but he’s still been fairly wild at times and needs more work. Of course, one could say the same thing about Horn.
The other wrinkle in the bullpen right now is the presence of RHP Keider Montero. After getting a start last week, the Tigers didn’t send the talented right-handed back down, so he’s available in some capacity. The club seemed to want to use him to make a few starts in a long stretch of games with only one day off, so whether they’ll contemplate using him out of the pen instead remains to be seen.
Parker Meadows
The big piece of good news doesn’t mean Parker Meadows return is imminent. Still, Meadows hasn’t been able to throw since late February when he suffered a nerve injury in his right bicep. The fact that he’s finally cleared to start a throwing program suggests that things are finally progressing well with the injury.
Meadows is on the 60-day IL, and not eligible to return until May 26. Presumably, it will take at least that long to get his arm built up anyway. The outfielder has continued to do all of his usual conditioning and has been hitting for a while now. So, this is a positive step but it will still be weeks until Meadows is hopefully ready for a rehab assignment.