Paul Tyler
Inside the Article:
The Detroit Tigers acquired outfielder Austin Meadows last April in a trade that sent infielder Isaac Paredes and a competitive balance round B pick in the 2022 amateur draft to the Tampa Bay Rays in return. Unfortunately, Meadows’ time with the Tigers has been anything but what they were envisioning upon his acquisition.
Austin Meadows was expected to play a key role in Detroit’s offense
Meadows arrived in Detroit after having hit .234 with 27 home runs and a career-high 106 RBIs in 2021 with Tampa Bay. But he was limited to only 36 games in 2022 while battling a variety of issues that included a bout of COVID-19 and vertigo, Achilles tendinitis, as well as anxiety.
He’s only appeared in six games this season before going right back on the 60-Day Injured List owing to his anxiety issues.
Tigers beat writer gives the latest news on Meadows’ condition
Right now, Meadows is in Florida, where he lives during the offseason. According to an article written today by beat writer Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press, there remains no timetable for a return for Meadows.
“Meadows, who has been on the 60-day injured list because of anxiety and hasn’t played since April 6, returned to Florida — where he lives in the offseason — to continue working on his mental and physical health.
There still isn’t a timetable for the 28-year-old’s return.
Before returning to Florida, Meadows had been around his teammates at Comerica Park while working in Detroit. A couple times, he was seen watching games from the dugout and celebrating with the Tigers on the field after walk-off wins.”
Wrapping It Up: We hope for the best for Meadows
Mental health is no joke, and while it was once viewed as a taboo subject to even discuss in professional sports circles, the critical issues that it can cause have become more and more apparent in recent years, with teams providing specific care for those who are experiencing it.
We are hoping that Meadows can get himself right and successfully overcome any demons that he’s battling and hopefully make a return to the Tigers lineup in the near future.
