A.J. Hinch said on Saturday that Meadows would need at least four more weeks of rest.
The loss of ace center fielder Parker Meadows has cast a bit of a shadow of the Detroit Tigers ’ spring camp. Now it appears he’s going to be out for a long longer than was initially hoped. Manager A.J. Hinch told reporters on Saturday that the 25-year-old Meadows would need at least four more weeks of rest. That announcement pushes his potential return back until mid-to-late May at the earliest.
Obviously this is pretty bad news and a real blow to the Tigers roster. Meadows suffered a musculocutaneous nerve injury in his right bicep on his first throw of Grapefruit League action. The injury is rare and more typically associated with pitchers, causing numbness and pain throughout the arm. There isn’t any direct treatment available, and so there’s little to do but wait for the nerve to heal and avoid any further strain on the arm.
Hinch said that Meadows had undergone nerve conduction testing in Phoenix, Arizona. The results indicated at least four more weeks of rest. That would be a general timetable of a late April return to action in the best case scenario, but this injury is a tricky one and can sometimes take many months to heal from. Even when Meadows is cleared to throw, he will probably need a little time to rebuild the muscles of the upper arm, and only then will he be able to fully rehab in the baseball sense. It’s hard to see that process being resolved until at least mid-to-late May.
Meadows bat is an important part of the Tigers projected lineup, but he’s still less than proven as a hitter. The tear he went on down the stretch last season was a big part of their success. The Tigers core group of hitters can handle his absence for a while, but it’s still a blow to lose their leadoff man and table setter. Meadows started to flash his above average power last year, and he is a menace to opposing teams on the basepaths.
The real killer is the loss of Meadows’ elite center field defense. The Tigers infield is not a very good defensive unit. As an organization they’ve emphasized preventing extra base hits in the outfield over high end infield defense, and when the whole outfield group is healthy they’re among the best in the game. They still have arguably the best left fielder in the game in Riley Greene, and Kerry Carpenter and Matt Vierling provide solid right field defense. For now though, the plan is to play the speedy Wenceel Pérez in center field most days.
Pérez has the speed to play the position well, but he only really converted to playing the outfield last year, and still lacks much experience in center field. He’s a solid enough replacement for Meadows’ bat against right-handed pitching, but despite his switch-hitting, Pérez struggles when hitting right-handed.
With Ryan Kreidler optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Saturday, it looks like Jahmai Jones may have a path to playing time in center field against left-handed pitching, at least until Matt Vierling returns from his rotator cuff injury in a few weeks. Riley Greene can also help out there, as can Zack McKinstry.
None of these options are ideal, but hopefully they can piece it together until Vierling returns in particular. His production at the plate and greater experience in the outfield could provide decent support to Pérez out there.
As for Meadows, the Tigers would probably like to wait before contemplating a 60-day injured list move to open up a temporary spot on the 40-man roster. However, unless something changes quickly, he appears likely to miss the first two months of the season anyway. Apparently he’s able to do some light conditioning work, but the lack of enervation in the upper arm will likely leave those muscles atrophied and needing some rebuilding before he can get back to full strength and go on a rehab assignment. They may be better served using that spot to avoid having to cut someone loose to add Jahmai Jones, who now appears to have a good shot at the Opening Day roster. We’ll know soon if he has made the cut, but the Tigers do have other options to open up a 40-man roster spot, and aren’t going to rush anything in regard to Meadows’ status.
The Tigers major league roster stands at 37 players.