BRADENTON, Fla. -- The Tigers will have to go to their contingency plans in center field. Parker Meadows, whose two-way play became a vital part of Detroit¡¯s late-season run to its first postseason berth in 10 years, will not be ready for Opening Day as he works back from inflammation around the musculocutaneous nerve in his upper right arm.
The announcement had been expected this week; manager A.J. Hinch made it on Friday before the Tigers faced the Pirates at LECOM Park. Meadows hasn¡¯t played since feeling discomfort in his right biceps in the Tigers¡¯ Grapefruit League opener on Feb. 22. He has progressed slowly but steadily over the last week or two. But with less than two weeks until the Tigers open the regular season at Dodger Stadium on March 27, there simply isn¡¯t enough time for him to get back to full action before that.
¡°He¡¯s doing everything but throwing, which is a good sign,¡± manager A.J. Hinch said. ¡°The bad sign is that we¡¯re closing in on Opening Day and we¡¯re running out of time. He¡¯s not going to make Opening Day given where we¡¯re at on the calendar and what he¡¯s actually doing.
¡°He¡¯s continuing to make progress, which is encouraging. But we¡¯re in the point in camp where we¡¯ve got to prepare for Opening Day without him.¡±
The Tigers have been preparing for this reality for the last couple weeks while hoping Meadows¡¯ nerve would ¡°wake up¡± in time for him to get back to full activity. Meadows said earlier this week that he¡¯s still dealing with some numbness but has improved. The Tigers are not ready to put a timetable on his return, Hinch said.
¡°Even if his nerve is fully awake and operating in the next couple of days,¡± Hinch said, ¡°getting him ready to run the outfield, hitting, throwing, it¡¯s just now been too long to be able to count on for Opening Day.¡±
With fellow Tigers outfielder Matt Vierling already ruled out for Opening Day as he rehabs from a right rotator cuff muscle strain, the Tigers are currently down to what would normally be the third center-field option on their depth chart in Wenceel P¨¦rez. And even with the once-converted infield prospect who started 21 games in center last year, there¡¯s a sense of urgency to get him ready for the season.
P¨¦rez hasn¡¯t played since March 2 due to low-back tightness. The Tigers announced in their Friday medical update that P¨¦rez received a cortisone injection earlier this week to address lingering discomfort.
¡°It¡¯s all in conjunction with trying to be very careful with getting [rid of] any soreness of all whatsoever,¡± Hinch said. ¡°He did a full camp workout today. I saw him; he was sweating. He had a really good [batting practice], he threw, he did defense with a stay-back group in Lakeland, and we¡¯re hoping to get him in a game this weekend.¡±
Barring a setback, the Tigers expect P¨¦rez to be ready for Opening Day. To that end, they¡¯ll likely set up full work for him on the back fields and in camp games next week during the Tigers¡¯ two-day trip to Fort Myers, rather than put him on a bus for two-plus hours each way to Fort Myers while the Tigers visit the Twins on Tuesday and the Red Sox on Wednesday.
Riley Greene, the Tigers¡¯ primary center fielder for much of 2022 and 2023 before moving to left field upon Meadows¡¯ arrival, will also be an option in center; he started back-to-back games in center on Wednesday and Thursday. Utility players Jahmai Jones and Ryan Kreidler have also seen time in center this Spring Training, but have to make the roster first before being options.
Another potential option in center, at least for an in-game move, is shortstop Javier B¨¢ez. He began his potential tour of defensive positions with a start at third base on Thursday, and played center field in Reese Olson¡¯s simulated game on Tuesday.
¡°I'm flirting with the idea of putting Javy out there and getting him a few reps,¡± Hinch said, ¡°just in case something happens during the season where we end up with that need.¡±