Tigers Injured Star Parker Meadows Starting Another Rehab Assignment

Meadows is the younger brother of former Detroit Tiger Austin Meadows. Parker was selected in the 2018 MLB draft, five years after his brother was picked.

The center fielder was a well regarded prospect before making his debut in 2023, where he accumulated 1.0 bWAR in 37 games, hitting three home runs and driving in 13. It was a short stint, but he showed promise.

He really began to break out in 2024. In 82 games, Meadows hit ,244 with 12 doubles, six triple and nine home runs. His OPS+ was 107. In about half a season, he racked up 2.2 bWAR. A lot of that is becuase he's an elite defender.

Not only is he a great runner with a 29.3 sprint speed, but his seven OAA was in the 92nd percentile, per Baseball Savant.

The youngster made highlight play after highlight play during his time in 2024 and a great centerfield defender is one of the most important things in the sport.

Unfortunately, the 25-year-old has dealt with injuries throughout his time in the Majors. He was played on the 10-day injured list in July with a quad strain, which is what he will be rehabbing.

Prior to his short 38 game stint in 2025, he had been on the 60-day injured list to begin the season. His 2024 ended in August, when Meadows was placed on the 60-day due to an arm injury, which is why he began 2025 there. Before that, Meadows had a hamstring injury that kept him out for about a month.

Meadows might be one of the more important pieces for Detroit down the stretch. A great defender like Meadows makes a huge difference in the outfield, especially if he is going to take over for Baez in center. The smart move would to slide Baez over to right, assuming they want to keep his bat in the lineup.

Before going down, Meadows was hitting just .200 with a .566 OPS, so the bat remains the big question going forward. If he can get it back to near league average, that will give the Tigers more space to tinker with the lineup all while sticking a potential Gold Glove level defender back in center.