CLEVELAND — The Detroit Tigers are shaking things up.
Center fielder Parker Meadows is expected to be optioned to Triple-A Toledo before Tuesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field, according to multiple sources. It’s the first non-injury roster move for the Tigers in the 2024 season.
Meadows, a left-handed hitter, is an elite defender in center field, but he hit .096 with 11 walks and 32 strikeouts across 32 games with the Tigers. The 24-year-old started two of the past five games, despite playing in four of those games, and received just four plate appearances in that span.
The Tigers informed Meadows of his demotion to Triple-A Toledo after Monday’s 2-1 loss to the Guardians, in which Meadows went 0-for-1 with one walk before getting lifted for pinch-hitter Wenceel Pérez in the sixth inning.
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Pérez didn’t start the past two games because of an illness, but he started the previous three games in center field. The 24-year-old, a switch-hitter, is playing on an everyday basis because of his performance at the plate, hitting .296 with three home runs, eight walks and 14 strikeouts in 19 games.
The Tigers called Pérez up for his MLB debut in early April as an injury replacement, and he’s been a spark for the struggling offense since his arrival.
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As for Meadows’ replacement, the Tigers could look to Akil Baddoo, a fellow left-handed hitting outfielder, but it remains unclear who will take the open spot on the active roster.
Baddoo is a member of the 40-man roster, and he is making $1.55 million this season. The 25-year-old has been performing well in Triple-A Toledo, hitting .262 with four homers, 17 walks and 25 strikeouts in 27 games, along playing all 198⅓ innings on defense at the center field position.
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Meanwhile, Meadows specifically struggled to hit fastballs in his 32 games with the Tigers. He had a .079 batting average with a .076 expected batting average against fastballs, with a miserable 28.4% whiff rate.
The former second-round draft pick can be a productive hitter in the big leagues, but not until he gets on time for fastballs.
Meadows was worth plus-5 defensive runs saved in center field, and he ranked in the 95th percentile with plus-3 outs above average for his range. He also ranked in the 95th percentile for his sprint speed, averaging 29.2 feet per second.
He is a .182 hitter with five home runs, 28 walks and 69 strikeouts in his 69-game MLB career, stealing 11 bases in 13 attempts. He played his first 37 games in the 2023 season after making his MLB debut in late August.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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