Detroit Tigers expected to option Parker Meadows to Triple-A Toledo, call up Ryan Vilade

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. 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.

Ryan Vilade, a right-handed hitter who plays outfield and infield, is expected to be called up from Triple-A Toledo to replace Meadows, according to a source.

The 25-year-old, a former top prospect with the Colorado Rockies, hit .333 with three home runs, eight walks and 24 strikeouts across 27 games for the Mud Hens, stealing eight bases in nine attempts.

In Toledo, Vilade cut down on ground balls, thus increasing his fly ball rate, while maintaining consistent hard contact. Getting the ball in the air has been the missing piece to Vilade's above-average power potential for several years in the upper levels of the minor leagues.

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.

EARLIER THIS SEASON: Tigers' Parker Meadows has struggled vs. fastballs. His HR may be turning point

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 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 big-league arrival.

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Vilade, a former second-round draft pick out of high school, is getting the second opportunity of his career in the big leagues as Meadows' replacement.

He made his MLB debut and played in three games for the Rockies in the 2021 season, but he went 0-for-6 with one walk and one strikeout in seven plate appearances. He spent the last two seasons at the Triple-A level, with the Rockies in 2022 and the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2023.

MORE ABOUT HIM: Ex-prospect Ryan Vilade trying to clear final hurdle with Tigers: Hitting with power

"I never got that first hit either," Vilade told the Free Press in January after signing a minor-league contract with the Tigers. "That's one thing that's kind of been eating at me."

For the Mud Hens, Vilade logged 60 innings in center field, 33 innings at third base, 28 innings at second base, 24⅔ innings in right field, 11 innings in left field and seven innings at first base.

Vilade isn't a member of the 40-man roster, so the Tigers need to create room and select his contract. Right-hander Sawyer Gipson-Long, who recently underwent Tommy John surgery, could be transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a spot.

SPRING TRAINING: Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows: 'I definitely feel like I can hit' in MLB

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 pick, also a high school draftee, can be a productive hitter in the big leagues, but not until he gets on time for fastballs again.

Meadows is worth plus-5 defensive runs saved in center field, and he ranks in the 95th percentile with plus-3 outs above average for his range. He also ranks 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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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers to send Parker Meadows, hitting .096, to Triple-A