Meadows (personal) was non-tendered by the Tigers on Friday.
Meadows appeared in only six games for Detroit in 2023 -- none after the first week of April -- because of anxiety issues. It's unclear what the future holds for the 28-year-old outfielder.
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Tigers' Austin Meadows: No contact with team
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Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said Monday that he hasn't talked with Meadows (personal) "in a few months," Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Meadows hasn't played anywhere since early April, as he's been away from the team for several months while dealing with anxiety. "We're going to explore what the path forward is," Harris said. "I don't have any answers on that. I hope he's doing well. I've got to reconnect with him. That's going to be a priority for us in October." Meadows is eligible for salary arbitration for a final time this offseason but seems likely to be non-tendered. He will turn 29 in May.
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Tigers' Austin Meadows: Will not return this season
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Meadows (personal) will not return to the Tigers this season, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
Meadows has been on the injured list since early April due to anxiety. He's been away from the team for the last several months, and there's no longer time for him to ramp back into game shape.
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Tigers' Austin Meadows: Still no baseball activity
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Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Saturday that Meadows (personal) continues to receive treatment for his anxiety and has yet to resume baseball activities, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
The 28-year-old has been sidelined since early April and remains without a timeline for his return. Meadows will likely need a lengthy buildup period and rehab assignment once he's taking part in baseball work, so he likely won't be back this season until September, if at all.
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Tigers' Austin Meadows: Still without timetable
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Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Thursday that Meadows (personal) is continuing his treatment in Florida, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Meadows has been on the injured list since April 7 while dealing with anxiety and was staying in Detroit prior to the Tigers' last road trip. It remains unknown when Meadows will return, but it's possible the Tigers opt to send him on a rehab assignment before bringing him back on the big-league roster.
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Tigers' Austin Meadows: Participates in team workout
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Meadows (anxiety) was at Comerica Park on Friday for an on-field workout with his teammates, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Meadows went on the 10-day injured list last weekend due to anxiety and it's unclear when he might feel ready to return to live games, but Tigers manager A.J. Hinch was encouraged by his presence. "We'll continue to monitor his progress and see what's next for him," Hinch said Friday. "We don't have a plan set in place, other than this is a good sign that he's able to get back to the ballpark and get some baseball work done."
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Tigers' Austin Meadows: Stepping away with anxiety
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Meadows was placed on the 10-day injured list by the Tigers on Saturday with anxiety.
In a statement released by Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris, the Tigers "fully support Austin's decision to step away from the team and prioritize his mental health." Akil Baddoo was recalled from Triple-A Toledo to replace Meadows on the big-league roster.
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Tigers' Austin Meadows: Taking seat Tuesday
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Meadows out of the lineup for Tuesday's game in Houston.
The lefty-hitting Meadows had started each of his team's first four games but will take a seat Tuesday as the Astros bring left-hander Framber Valdez to the hill. Eric Haase replaces Meadows in left field.
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Tigers' Austin Meadows: Tallies three hits Opening Day
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Meadows went 3-for-4 with a double in Thursday's 4-0 loss to the Rays.
Meadows had half of Detroit's hits as Shane McClanahan mostly cruised through the lineup. The Tigers may struggle all season to generate offense, which could limit the fantasy upside of Meadows. Still, it's good to see the outfielder get off to a strong start, and he may be able to move up in the order in the near future after hitting sixth on Thursday.
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Tigers' Austin Meadows: Slow start to spring
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Meadows went 0-for-3 in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals and is now batting just .188 this spring.
Meadows has only three hits in 16 at-bats so far, though on a positive note, he's only struck out once. The outfielder batted .250 with a .675 OPS in 36 games last season, as Achilles and mental health issues kept him out of game action for significant stretches. Meadows had 27 home runs, 106 RBI and a .773 OPS back in 2021 with Tampa Bay, so he'll be looking to get back to that form this year in his second campaign with the Tigers. Simply staying on the field will be a big step in the right direction.
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Tigers' Austin Meadows: Ready for start of season
Rotowire
Meadows, who dealt with numerous injuries during the 2022 year, told reporters on Monday that he's ready for the start of the 2023 season, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
On top of dealing with Achilles issues last summer, Meadows also dealt with vertigo while also battling his own anxiety and mental health. The outfielder struggled after being traded to the Tigers from the Rays in 2022 when he was on the field with a .675 OPS, no homers and zero steals over 147 plate appearances. He's not long removed from being one of the best young outfielders in the sport, so assuming good health, he very well could be an effective option for the Tigers and potentially fantasy managers in 2023.
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Tigers' Austin Meadows: Reaches deal to avoid arbitration
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Meadows agreed to a one-year contract with the Tigers on Friday, avoiding arbitration.
Detroit will keep Meadows around at north of $4 million in 2023. Meadows appeared in just 36 games last season around mental health struggles and injuries, finishing the year on the IL with strains to both of his Achilles' tendons. He should have a normal offseason and the expectation is that Meadows will be the starter in either right field or left on Opening Day.
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Tigers' Austin Meadows: Clear of Achilles issues
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The Tigers announced Tuesday that Meadows (Achilles) is healthy and participating in his normal offseason program, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
Meadows played in only 36 games in 2022 and missed the final four months of the campaign due to strains in both of his Achilles' tendons and mental health issues. The 27-year-old struggled at the plate when available and finished his first year in Detroit with a .675 OPS and zero home runs in 147 plate appearances. He tentatively lines up to open 2023 as the Tigers' starting right fielder, though that role is hardly secure.
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Tigers' Austin Meadows: Goes on 60-day IL
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The Tigers transferred Meadows (Achilles) to the 60-day injured list Sunday.
The transaction is merely procedural, as Meadows has already missed more than 60 days while recovering from strains of both Achilles' tendons. After being pulled off his rehab assignment in mid-August, Meadows hadn't resumed full activities before he disclosed in a post on his personal Twitter account Friday that he won't be returning to action in 2022. He ends his first season in Detroit with zero home runs, zero stolen bases, 11 RBI and nine runs in 36 games with the club.
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Tigers' Austin Meadows: Won't return this season
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Meadows (Achilles) announced Friday that he won't be returning this season while he works through some mental health struggles.
Meadows' first year in Detroit didn't go anything close to how he would have hoped. He dealt with vertigo and battled COVID-19 before dealing with bilateral tendinitis in his Achilles tendons. He revealed Friday that he'd been battling mental health issues alongside those physical problems. He's been back in the clubhouse for the past few weeks but won't attempt to get back on the field, instead continuing to work on his mental health in preparation for next season.
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Tigers' Austin Meadows: Not yet doing full activity
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Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Meadows (Achilles) took part in a workout at Comerica Park on Tuesday, but the 27-year-old remains without a timeline to return from the 10-day injured list, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports. "We're still sorting through a game plan for him. We have not ramped him up to full activity," Hinch said of Meadows.
Meadows has been on the shelf since June 17, first on account of a positive COVID-19 test before he was diagnosed with strains of both of his Achilles' tendons just over a week later. He started up a rehab assignment with Triple-A on Aug. 10, only to return to Detroit after playing in four games when he experienced a setback. He's made limited progress over the subsequent two weeks and still doesn't appear particularly close to a return, making it far from a certainty that Meadows is cleared to play before the end of the season. He's played in just 36 games during his inaugural campaign in Detroit, batting .250 with no home runs or stolen bases over 147 plate appearances.
Meadows (Achilles) is expected to report to Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday to begin a rehab assignment, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Meadows completed some on-field hitting and baserunning Tuesday and appears to have demonstrated enough progress from his left and right Achilles' tendon strains to put his health to the test in a game setting. According to Woodbery, the Tigers plan on having Meadows serve as a designated hitter in his first rehab start before gradually getting exposure to right field, where he should play on a near-everyday basis whenever he's cleared to return from the 10-day injured list. Since Meadows has been out of commission for just under two months, Woodbery speculates that the 27-year-old will stay in the minors for 7-to-10 days before making his return to the Detroit lineup.
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Tigers' Austin Meadows: Hits on field Monday
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Meadows (Achilles) was spotted taking batting practice Monday in Minnesota, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
Meadows has recently been conducting his rehab for his left and right Achilles' tendon strains at the Tigers' complex Florida, but he joined the team for its road series in Minnesota so the training and coaching staff could get a better handle on whether he's fit to begin a minor-league rehab assignment. In addition to taking BP, Meadows would likely need to prove that his Achilles injuries don't limit him on the bases or in the outfield before the Tigers send him out to a minor-league affiliate.
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Tigers' Austin Meadows: Not running yet
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Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Wednesday that Meadows (Achilles) has yet to resume a running program while he conducts his rehab at the team's spring training complex in Florida, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Meadows has endured a challenging first season in Detroit, having appeared in only 36 games with the big club due to a case of vertigo, bouts with illnesses -- both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19-related -- and now strains to both of his Achilles' tendons. The 27-year-old is set to rejoin the Tigers for their series in Minnesota next week for a re-evaluation, at which point he could be cleared to start running again if team doctors are satisfied with the progress he's made in his recovery from the Achilles' injuries. Since he's likely to require a rehab assignment before he's activated from the 10-day injured list, Meadows doesn't appear on track to play for the Tigers until at least the second week of August.
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Tigers' Austin Meadows: Won't return this month
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Meadows (Achilles) will not return in July, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
He is still not running, and manager A.J. Hinch said he would have a better idea on a timeline once Meadows begins a running program. With strains in both his left and right Achilles and no clear timetable to return, Meadows is a tough stash in leagues with no IL spots.
