There may not be a more unlucky figure right now not only in the world of Detroit sports, but in professional sports as a whole in the form of Detroit Tigers outfielder Austin Meadows. He is – stop us if you've heard this one before – dealing with another setback that will once again delay his return to the Tigers lineup.
According to skipper A.J. Hinch, Meadows may have to in fact “start over” in his rehabilitation process with the Triple-A affiliate Toledo Mud Hens.
“Meadows is not playing,” Hinch said on Monday prior to the team's doubleheader against the division rival Chicago White Sox. “I think we're going to have to stop his rehab and start over.”
“I don't know where he's going to do his work between now and the All-Star break,” Hinch continued. “But I'm sure he'll go home for the break. He won't have an All-Star break. He will be reporting every day at the facility in Lakeland.”
Meadows served as the designated hitter for Toledo last Wednesday, but hasn't played since due to continued soreness.
“I definitely got my eyes on the second half,” Meadows said July 3. “Hopefully, I can do whatever I can to help the team.”
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Meadows was acquired by the Tigers from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Isaac Paredes, who has done nothing but absolutely tear the cover off baseballs left and right since his arrival down south; meanwhile, Meadows has been limited to a mere 36 games with Detroit, during which he failed to hit a single home run. As it stands right now, Meadows has hit .250 with 16 walks and 17 strikeouts.
Among the ailments that Meadows has dealt with in 2022 include landing on the COVID-19 list, suffering through a bout of vertigo, and also suffering strains in not one but both of his Achilles tendons.
