Tigers activate one-time All-Star OF Austin Meadows from IL
The Detroit Tigers have lost three in a row and have the fifth-worst record in baseball at 21-33. Unlike with the teams situated below them in the standings, many experts had high expectations for the Tigers coming into 2022, largely due to the offseason additions of guys like Javier Baez, Austin Meadows and Eduardo Rodriguez.
A 2019 All-Star with the Tampa Bay Rays, Meadows struggled a bit through his first 101 at-bats covering 28 games with his new club before being placed on the injured list in mid-May. Meadows appears destined to be making his return to the lineup any day now though.
The 2013 ninth overall draft pick went on the IL with an inner ear infection and missed the last three weeks due to vertigo-like symptoms. Meadows has posted a .267/.362/.347 slash line with zero home runs, 11 RBI, 12 walks and 14 strikeouts in 2022 thus far.
After debuting with 49 games with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2018, Meadows was traded to Tampa Bay with starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow and a player to be named later in exchange for two-time All-Star hurler Chris Archer in July of that year. During his All-Star campaign three years ago, the outfielder recorded career highs in home runs (33), hits (154), runs scored (83), stolen bases (12), batting average (.291), on-base percentage (.364) and slugging percentage (.558).
Following a down 2020-pandemic shortened season, Meadows' slash line dropped to .234/.315/.458 in 2021, but he still put up 27 home runs and a career-best 106 RBI.
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