Detroit Tigers explain decision to demote Parker Meadows, plus plan for center field
CLEVELAND — The Detroit Tigers finally made a move.
Before Tuesday's game, the Tigers sent Parker Meadows, stuck in a slump for more than a month, to Triple-A Toledo in the first-non-injury roster move during the 2024 season. The 24-year-old played elite defense in center field, but he hit just .096 with 11 walks and 32 strikeouts in 32 games.
Meadows needs to get his swing on time for fastballs.
"We're going to see a ton of left-handed pitching in the next 10-14 days," manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday of the decision to send Meadows to Toledo. "It was time for him to go get some regular playing time, reset himself, get his timing back and be the player that we expect him to be."
To replace Meadows, the Tigers promoted outfielder/infielder Ryan Vilade from Triple-A. The Tigers opened a spot for Vilade on the 40-man roster by transferring right-hander Sawyer Gipson-Long, who recently underwent Tommy John surgery, to the 60-day injured list.
Vilade started in right field for Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field.
"He hit his way to the opportunity," Hinch said of Vilade, who joined the organization this offseason. "He started opening a lot of eyes and made some swing changes. He's versatile. Getting another right-handed bat is an advantage with how the schedule is starting to play out (facing left-handed pitchers), and that coincided with us wanting to get Parker some regular playing time. His time in general was getting cut, where he wasn't playing as much. Even the games he did, I was hitting for him, and that's not the player or the role we want him to be."
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Without Meadows, rookie Wenceel Pérez — another rookie responsible for cutting into Meadows' playing time — is going to get the majority of the reps in center field. Pérez, a switch-hitter, isn't as good of a defender, but he is hitting .296 with three home runs, eight walks and 14 strikeouts in 19 games.
Matt Vierling, who plays third base and all three outfield positions, is another option in center field.
"Riley (Greene) is still an option," Hinch added. "We go back and forth on whether we're going to use him in the middle of the field, but we have plenty of coverage in center. It's not as good as with Parker out there. I mean, Parker is the best defender arguably in the organization, so we're going to need to piece it together. We have capable guys."
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Meadows wasn't in Tuesday's lineup for Toledo, beginning a six-game homestand at Fifth Third Field, but he is expected to be in the lineup as the center fielder for Wednesday's game.
For the Tigers, Meadows had a .079 batting average — with a .076 expected batting average — against fastballs, with a poor 28.4% whiff rate. He struggled with up-and-away fastballs, as well as down-and-in secondary pitches.
Meadows shined in the other two facets of the game. He was worth plus-5 defensive runs saved as an elite center fielder; he also showcased elite speed on the bases, averaging 29.2 feet per second.
"I actually think his at-bats the last couple of times that I put him in there were a little bit better," Hinch said. "It was more about what's the best interest for him and for us, short term and long term. He needs to play. To take advantage of that defense he can offer, and defend himself with the bat, he really needs to be in the lineup."
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Justyn-Henry Malloy injured
Outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy — a prospect with more than 750 plate appearances and a .419 on-base percentage in his Triple-A career — wasn't the replacement for Meadows in part because he isn't fully healthy in Triple-A Toledo.
Malloy, 24, is dealing with an unspecified injury.
"He's been banged up a little bit, and Vilade's been very hot," Hinch said. "We look at everybody, and we talk about everybody, but especially with this role, what we envision for Vilade, he's going to move around a lot more than anybody else would."
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Malloy hasn't played for the Mud Hens since he was removed from Friday's game in the sixth inning following a groundout. He wasn't in Tuesday's lineup, meaning he has now missed three games in a row.
The Tigers declined to provide additional information on Malloy's health.
In Toledo, Malloy is hitting .279 with three home runs, 26 walks and 34 strikeouts in 30 games. He has played 145⅔ innings in left field and 72 innings in right field, only serving as the designated hitter in four games. (Malloy also hit .277 with 23 home runs, 110 walks and 152 strikeouts in 136 games last season with the Mud Hens.)
Illness sidelines Canha
Outfielder Mark Canha is dealing with an upper respiratory infection.
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That's why Canha wasn't in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Guardians. The illness isn't the same as what forced Pérez to miss Sunday's game in New York against the Yankees, but there are several Tigers under the weather.
"There's a little bug going around," Hinch said.
Urshela update
Third baseman Gio Urshela (right hamstring strain) is scheduled to run the bases again Wednesday in Cleveland, which is expected to be the final test before he begins a rehab assignment.
He will rehab with Toledo.
There isn't a timeline for Urshela's return to the Tigers, but he appears to be on track to return by the weekend.
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 explain decision to demote Parker Meadows
