With a 9.5-game lead in the American League Central, the Detroit Tigers are going to be making their second straight playoff appearance. How far they go could be determined by who is available for the final month of the season and beyond.
The Tigers are relatively healthy, with the exception of starting pitchers Alex Cobb, Jackson Jobe, and Reese Olson. But they also could use a couple of extra bats with Parker Meadows and Matt Vierling on the injured list.
The good news is that the Tigers may be expecting one of their injured hitters to return soon and a minor league rehab assignment means that they can become a major reinforcement for Detroit as they head down the final stretch.
Parker Meadows joins the Hens tomorrow.
— Evan Woodbery (@evanwoodbery) August 26, 2025
Alex Cobb's rehab is paused. pic.twitter.com/guxZfxK6do
Tigers OF Parker Meadows Begins Rehab Assignment at Triple-A
In a slew of medical updates provided by the team before Tuesday’s 7-6 loss to the Athletics, it was announced that Meadows would begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday.
Meadows has had an injury-riddled season for the Tigers, beginning the year on the shelf with a musculocutaneous nerve injury in his right arm suffered in Spring Training. While he came back in June, he didn’t look like himself, hitting .200/.270/.296 with two homers and nine RBI before going back on the injured list with a right quad strain on July 27.
While Meadows hasn’t had a great offensive year, he can be a valuable asset to the Tigers when healthy. He was a key member of Detroit’s push to the playoffs last season, hitting .244/.310/.433 with nine homers, 28 RBI, and nine stolen bases in 13 attempts. He also played a key role in the outfield, logging a plus-5 in defensive runs saved in 82 games.
The Tigers have patched center field together in Meadows’s absence this season, using Javier Báez and Wenceel Pérez to help their climb to the top of the division. While Báez has logged a plus-3 in defensive runs saved as an outfielder, he’s hitting .228/.233/.317 with one homer, 12 RBI, and three stolen bases since starting for the American League in center field during this year’s All-Star Game. Perez has also cooled down after a torrid start, hitting .244/.314/.405 with five homers, 17 RBI, and six stolen bases in his past 50 games.
Meadows may not be the player who turns Detroit into an offensive juggernaut, but his return could give manager A.J. Hinch some more options down the stretch.