Detroit Tigers: Austin Meadows solid start hindered by injury

The Detroit Tigers 2022 season has been a struggle early on; injuries have rattled the team off its tracks and created some early adversity. The Tigers went out and added Austin Meadows via trade before the season started.

Now, as May continues, the Detroit Tigers are without Meadows as he spends time on the Injured List (IL). A spell of dizziness and vertigo issues has caused Meadows to miss time, resulting in him getting put on the IL.

Meadows had had great eyes this year, leading to a .362 on-base percentage thus far. Okay, okay, the eyes comment might have been a bit much, but Meadows really has been outstanding in the batters’ box.

This injury is a true hindrance to Meadows’ early performance in 2022. While Isaac Paredes has been healthy and hit two home runs against his former Tigers in their recent contest, the Meadows trade still feels like a victory for Detroit.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Austin Meadows’s injury halts his quality start.

For the Tigers, Meadows has logged 28 games where he’s accumulated 116 plate appearances where he is slashing .267/.362/.347 before the injury derailed things. He was on a roll with his new organization, and it sucks to see him battling this injury.

Especially with the Tigers’ current state of performance, losing out on Meadows’ bat in the lineup is the last thing the team wants. But, as Meadows continues to work through the vertigo issues, it’s going to take time before he is able to return.

Meadows has been a quality addition, even early on in his tenure, but the injury is a sure setback and hurts the Tigers as they continue to work through the rebuild. He will return and will get his chance to settle back in at the plate; the hope is that he will continue to have the same success he had early on.

While he may not have a ton of home runs or a high average, there is plenty of benefits that Meadows did bring to the lineup early on. The ability to find open space, drive the ball, and get on base is what has been crucial for Meadows.

The Tigers should be more than happy with what Meadows has done when he’s on the field. However, the injury trouble will throw a wrench in this performance. Meadows will come back and be just fine, and it’s just going to take time.