Tigers Could Accelerate Debut Timeline for Top Prospect After Latest Injury
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The Detroit Tigers are hoping to get their season jumpstarted this week, but they are going to be doing it for the foreseeable future without one of their most important players.
Last week, Detroit lost star center fielder Parker Meadows to a scary looking injury after a collision with Riley Greene, and moving him to the 60-day injured list on Monday indicated that they do not feel confident he is getting back onto the field anytime soon.
After suffering not only a concussion but a broken arm as well, Meadows could very well be out for the entire year, and while Wenceel Perez has already been called up to take his place for now, there's another route the Tigers can go.
As the team has tried to find its footing in Detroit, quietly in Toledo top prospect Max Clark has strung together an incredible start to the year. While he was not considered for the promotion to take Meadows' spot this early, perhaps the gap in center field combined with his performance could accelerate that expected timeline.
Clark Could Wind Up Making Tigers Debut Sooner Than Later
For a guy in Clark who Detroit obviously believes is a future franchise cornerstone even after his rough spring, they are not going to rush him along to fill in for an injury at this point of the season.
With that being said, this is not Double-A that Clark is getting it done in. Just one step below the big leagues, the 21-year-old is slashing an absurd .352/.439/.537 across 14 games, collecting nine extra base hits and walking 10 times compared to just six strikeouts.
Despite that it did not look that way during camp, Clark is very much knocking on the door of being ready for MLB action. The fact that the team now has a need in the outfield might just be a cherry on top.
When Clark May Actually Be Called Up by Tigers
Perez is going to get his chance to prove why he should be on the team as well as Javier Baez moving to center, but there is no question the clock has now started here, especially if Meadows is not going to come back.
If Clark does not find his way into an ugly slump at some point over the next few weeks, the noise to call him up is only going to continue to get louder. The way he's hitting the ball right now, the youngster looks like he can do more than just be ready for a debut; he looks like a legitimate difference maker.
It won't be tomorrow, but a Clark debut which in the spring seemed to be very far off could very much be in the cards before the All-Star break if things keep playing out this way. Should he keep getting it done at the plate, it could be even sooner than that.
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Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.