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Detroit Tigers to Option Former Top Prospect Back Down to Triple-A

After struggling immensely over the first month of the season, Parker Meadows is going to be optioned to Triple-A by the Detroit Tigers before Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Guardians.

Brady Farkas

Apr 22, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Detroit Tigers outfielder Parker Meadows (22) hits a
Apr 22, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Detroit Tigers outfielder Parker Meadows (22) hits a / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

According to a report in the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit Tigers are going to option struggling slugger Parker Meadows to Triple-A before Tuesday's game.

Center fielder Parker Meadows is expected to be optioned to Triple-A Toledo before Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field, according to multiple sources. It's the first non-injury roster move for the Tigers in the 2024 season.

Meadows, a left-handed hitter, is an elite defender in center field, but he hit .096 with 11 walks and 32 strikeouts across 32 games. The 24-year-old started two of the past five games, despite playing in four of those games, and received just four plate appearances in that span.

Meadows was ranked the Tigers' No. 12 prospect by MLB.com in 2023 and was expected to be a big part of the 2024 roster, but it just hasn't happened yet.

The brother of former All-Star Austin Meadows, he made his debut in 2023, hitting three home runs in just 125 at-bats. He also stole eight bases and plays a solid defensive centerfield.

The Tigers are currently 18-17 on the season and trying to compete in 2024, so they can't afford to have developmental projects on the roster right now. It's likely that Meadows contributes again to this team after all, but it won't be right now.

The Tigers take on the first-place Guardians on Tuesday at 6:10 p.m. ET as Kenta Maeda pitches against Logan Allen.

The veteran Maeda is 1-1 with a 5.02 ERA while Allen is 3-2 with a 5.11 ERA.

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Brady Farkas

BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.