LAKELAND, Fla. – Tigers center wheel Parker Preswhose two-way play was a key part of Detroit’s late-season run to the playoffs last year, is suffering from a nerve issue in his right upper arm and remains sidelined with no set timetable for a return, manager AJ Hinch announced Saturday morning.
How long Meadows remains out, Hinch said, depends on how quickly doctors can get his nerves working again. He has not been ruled out for Opening Day, but he cannot participate in any baseball activities until the issue is resolved.
“My understanding is that we are in a holding pattern,” Hinch said. “We have to give him the courage to return to baseball activities. It might be short. It might linger a little bit. Nobody has a firm timeline on when that might happen, but we feel like we’re on a really good path now that we have the diagnosis (and) we now have a treatment plan.”
The absence of Meadows, in addition to Matt Vierling’s right rotator cuff muscle strain that ruled it out of Opening Day, is a double whammy for a team that headed into spring training with momentum from last fall’s run to one game out of a berth in the ALCS. Meadows was a big part of that, hitting safely in all seven playoff games while playing outstanding defense at center. He’s been an offensive catalyst at the top of the Tigers’ batting order against right-handed pitchers, a role the team hopes he can reprise.
Meadows, speaking for the first time since he was injured on a throw from center field in last Saturday’s spring training opener, said he felt pain immediately after the throw. The pain eventually subsided, but Meadows felt numbness in his upper arm and upper forearm, and was unable to flex his biceps.
“Just a freak accident,” Meadows said.
After a few rounds of MRIs and an examination by team doctors, Meadows was referred to Dr. Raj Singh, a musculoskeletal and nervous disease specialist based in Phoenix.
“He had seen a lot of similar things happen when it came to baseball players,” Meadows said. “It was a weight off my shoulders.”
The problem can be difficult to identify, but by finding it quickly, doctors gave Meadows a chance for a speedy recovery. He already feels improvement without pain and less tingling in his arm, but he has to wait until it goes away completely.
“Basically, you just wait until the nerve wants to wake up,” Meadows said. “It’s very frustrating, but that’s part of it, and I’m going to stay positive throughout this process and take it day by day. Maybe tomorrow, maybe in three weeks, I guess. I really don’t know, but we have some of the best coaches in the world. I trust them and they will get me back on my feet as soon as possible.”
Meadows was a 2.2 bWAR player last season – third highest among Tigers position players – despite only playing in 82 games. He spent part of last season at Triple-A Toledo and missed four weeks on the injured list with a right hamstring strain shortly after being recalled from the minors in early July. He hit .244/.310/.433 with nine homers, 28 RBIs and a 109. OPS+ for the season, but he’s hit .296/.340/.500 over the past two months.
With Meadows and Vierling sidelined for the time being, the Tigers should give speedy hitter Wenceel Pérez an extended look in center field this spring; the converted infielder played primarily in right field last season while playing an underrated role in Detroit’s late-season offense. Utility infielder Ryan Kreidler could also see time at center. All-Star outfielder Riley Greene is an option to return to center, his usual position when he began his big league career, but the Tigers would prefer to keep him in left.
If Meadows is ultimately ruled out for Opening Day, the Tigers could look to add a centerfielder via free agency or a trade, but they have time to evaluate their options. The free agent market is thin at the moment, but with several veteran centerfielders in other camps as non-roster invitees and others out of minor league options, the Tigers may benefit from a little patience to see how spring training contests play out.
