Detroit Tigers' slugger Parker Meadows has not been able to stay on the field this season. He missed the club's first 60 games after sustaining a musculocutaneous nerve injury, only to play in 38 games and head back to the IL on July 27 to deal with a right quad strain.
With Meadows on the IL, Detroit has gone with a combination of Wenceel Perez, Javier Baez, and Matt Vierling to man the center field position. The three have held it down for the American League Central leading squad; however, Vierling recently landed on the IL with an oblique injury and could miss the rest of the regular season.
Needing reinforcements, Meadows is inching closer and closer to his return. According to CBS Sports, Meadows has been running and throwing regularly and could begin a rehab assignment in the near future.
Meadows struggled in the limited games he has played in this year, hitting just .200/.270/.296 with two home runs and nine runs batted in. Attributing those stats to his injury and missing the first 60 games, fans are hopeful he can return to the player he was in 2024, who was a key contributor to their success.
Detroit could use all the help it can get right now. While leading the AL Central, they have struggled at times after the All-Star break, going just 11-14, which is worse than the Chicago White Sox during that stretch. The Cleveland Guardians keep cutting into the Tigers' division lead with hopes of taking home another division championship.