The Tigers announced that outfielder Parker Meadows has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Fellow outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy has been optioned to Triple-A Toledo in a corresponding active roster move. To open a 40-man spot, right-hander Ryan Cusick has been designated for assignment. Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reported the Meadows and Malloy moves prior to the official announcement.
Meadows, 25, will be making his season debut as soon as he gets into a game. Way back in February, he was battling some inflammation in his upper right arm. It was later revealed that this was due to issues with the musculocutaneous nerve. He was placed on the 60-day IL in late March, indicating he wouldn’t be an option for the Tigers in the first two months of the season.
He seems to be fine now. He has played eight rehab games over the past two weeks and put up a stout .259/.394/.556 line in those. His throwing was a concern when the issue first cropped up but he’s been playing the field during his rehab, so he’s presumably fine in that regard as well.
Now that he’s back, it should be a boost for the Tigers. Meadows hit .241/.317/.413 for a 106 wRC+ in 119 games over the previous two seasons. He also stole 17 bases and received strong marks for his center field defense. FanGraphs credited him with 3.1 wins above replacement in that time, even though he had played less than a full season’s worth of games.
The Tigers have had a number of health problems in the outfield this year. In addition to Meadows, Matt Vierling and Wenceel Pérez have also missed significant time. Vierling was recently reinstated but went right back on the IL after just a few days.
The club has managed to weather that storm about as well as could have been expected. Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter have both been great while utility guys like Javier Báez and Zach McKinstry have also made nice contributions. Now that Meadows and Pérez are back, that should further strengthen a team that already leads the majors with a 39-21 record.
Cusick, 25, was just claimed off waivers from the A’s a few days ago. He will likely wind up back on waivers again in the coming days and it’s possible he’ll clear. As the best team in baseball, the Tigers are last on the waiver priority list, so the other 29 clubs passed on him just a few days ago.
A former first-round pick of Atlanta, Cusick’s minor league work hasn’t produce much optimism yet. He posted poor numbers for the A’s in the minors in 2022, 2023 and through the first half of 2024. A move to relief last year inspired some optimism, as he posted a 1.73 ERA in his final 26 innings. However, his results have backed up here in 2025. He had a 6.75 ERA in 14 2/3 Triple-A innings before the A’s designated him for assignment. Since being claimed, he has tossed one scoreless inning for Toledo.
Photo courtesy of Junfu Han, Imagn Images
Woohoo
Sweet. Sorry to see J-Hen go, but thrilled to get Parker back. Sign of increased depth in the system when you lament losing the last player on the roster.
I’d prefer to see him get more ABs in AAA. I’d be surprised if we don’t see him back in Detroit in the near future. He can hit, he just needs reps,
I get sending Malloy down. He really only hits lefties and doesn’t play great defense. But I’m really sick of Ibanez. Maybe I’m the only one.
Getting tired of Sweeney as well. Consistently poor AB’s and his defense has been a roller coaster.
Yes, Sweeney with his noodle arm and porous bat.
Sweeney has been solid, but hardly spectacular, at SS. His bat just isn’t coming along. I was hoping he would become another Colt Keith. .Maybe, it will click one of these days.
Baez has been reverting to the mean a little bit here lately too.
Honestly, I don’t know how the Tigers keep winning. They pitch when they need to pitch. They hit when they need to hit. I’m not complaining.
I’m hoping they find that offensive groove this week vs the lowly ChiSox.
Sweeney has a -6DRS and a .603 OPS. That is not solid.
I was referring to his defense.
“Honestly, I don’t know how the Tigers keep winning”
Are you even a Tigers fan?
And to answer that question, it’s coaching…Hinch is the best I have ever seen, and I’ve met Leyland.
He lost those games to the Dodgers. a) did not let the pro athlete fight for his career (ph Sweeney for Margo); b) situational hitting. A guy on second, no out, someone has to hit the ball to right field. Or no? The hitting coach has them hitting well, but why no situational hitting? c) a couple of the pitcher did.not show they were ready. He used them anyways.
The Tigers should have swept the Dodgers. The opportunity was there.
The guys, mainly Carp, Torque, Skube and Mize have bailed Hinch out.
As usual, guys like Harris and Hinch will take all the credit for other guys working 24/7, 365 days a year to be all of the best they can be.
Granted in the modern game, the manager has been neutered.
Hinch will never have then opportunity to fire up his team by laying into an ump, screaming bloody murder at him and kicking dirt on those lousy umps….
Hinch gets to hold his hand up and say, “I challenge”.
Damn its exciting.
The Tigers should have swept the Dodgers andnhad every opportunity to do so.
I guess that’s about as good as it gets these days…
Lol
Managers are only there to be blamed for when things go wrong.
Ask any owner or executive….
Ask any worker.
We all agree.
Congrats on the most ignorant comment I’ve ever read. You always seem to top yourself but this is absolutely hilarious.
I think Sweeney will man SS until McGonigle or Rainer arrive.
I don’t think Sweeney will be around that long. Obviously, Javy needs to play somewhere beginning tonight (since Parker is back in the lineup).
IDK, but McGonigle (and Max & Briceno) have put themselves on the fast track for AA. McG’s sick numbers (albeit in 36 ABs) at WMich: .500/.617/.806/1.423.
The way those 3 are going, they’ll be in Erie this season, start there next year, and probably make it to Toledo by the end of ’26.
Absolutely! There’s another massive wave of prospects coming around 2027. If we were still in the Dombrowski era, he’d be licking his chops, thinking of the trades he could make in July. Thankfully, those days are over and we have a future to look forward to (in addition to enjoying the present success.
You mean if they were still in the Mike Illitch Era?! Illitch is the one who ordered those “all trades and signings” trying for one last title before go ing off to that baseball front office in the sky. Dombrowski was an employee following the business plan and marching orders of his Owner at the time. Illitch’s son has a different business plan that is focused on creating a talent pipeling from the farm system and lots of patience as the farm is nurtured, cultivated and then harvested in Detroit. In Fact, former GM Al Avila Drafted and acquired a large percentage of the players that make up the current Tigers contending team.
Avila, as you know, was one of Dombrowski’s lieutenants in both Miami and Detroit. So, it just goes to prove that when Ownership “changes course” from the old business plan of “pull out all the stops, double down and win now at all costs” and transitions to a new farm based, home grown talent system, crackerjack baseball Front Office Pros, can and will shift gears to implement Ownership’s new business plan that is focused on the farm, drafts, trades, selective signings etc… and staying within the budget approved for each year.
Well, I do know for a fact that Dombroski admitted HIS method of operation wasn’t the best way and pledged to be more mindful of the future when he took fha Phillies job. So, I don’t know how much Mike was really involved in the Trader Dave Days.
One of the things Avila wasn’t able to do was upgrade the backroom stuff: analytics, training, nutrition.
It could be argued a lot of the Tiger’s “Avila” draftees might not have developed as they have without the changes brought in by Harris. Particularly with pitching.
In fact, Mike Ilitch did not renew Dave Dombrowski’s contract when they had a disagreement about trade deadline trades and personnel. Dombrowski knew it was time to at least retool the aging Tigers roster. But, Mike Illitch wanted to “double down” and strip mine the farm system every year,
Dombrowske starting trading veteran guys and getting younger guys back like Matthew Boyd, Daniel Norris and others,
Illitch was furious and parted ways with Dombrowski. If Mike Illitch had let Dave Dombrowski retool the Tigers, then the Tigers retooling could have produced a New Pennant contender much faster, Mike Ilitch forced Al Avila back to the old business plan that lead to declining veteran signings and stopped Dombrowski and then Avila from moving valuable pieces for bunches of younger talent, Mike Illitch’s delay of the Retooling made matters worse and forced a complete teardown and rebuild with aging Tigers that had lost most of their trade value…
I think Dave Dombrowski would have received better returns in young players and prospects than Al Avila in trades involving Justin Verlander, JD Martinez and others. It was Mike Illitch that made the decisions that set back the Tigers rebuild 4-5 years.
Dombrowski has been successful operating on low budget models (Montreal, Miami) and higher budget Models: Detroit, Philly and Boston.
It is Ownership that controls the checkbook, sets the yearly budget and gives the marching orders for their business plan. In Detroit, Boston Ownership directed Dombrowski to “win now at all costs”. Dombrowski succeeded on that Model with great drafts. great trades. great free agent signings, spending cash. In Philly, Ownership has directed Dombrowski to use a hybrid model: the build the farm and talent pipeline, trades and also spend on free agents. Dombrowski is very talented and wins wherever he goes on what ever business plan his Ownership Directs him to follow.
I respectfully disagree. It was Avila who hired and built the analytics department and started to build the farm system and player development.Avila hired Ryan Garko who is the key guy in Tigers player development and you see the fruit of his seeding the farm system being harvested now. Huge credit goes to Scott Harris for not gutting the changes put in place by Avila like Garko and the new, fledging analytics department. Harris fortified and built on Avila’s intial efforts in analytics and player development. And, I give Scott Harris great credit for not tearing down al the word that Avila started, but building on that work to let the Tigers turnaround happen faster. A New Teardown of Avila’s work would have put the Tigers in the same position as the White Sox who completely tore down the last GMs work and started all over again.
3B for Baez?
I know for a fact that Illitch fired Dombrowski because he would not commit to the Tigers. Illitch wanted to renew his contract, but Dombrowski refused to discuss it. I heard that from the mouth of Mike Illitch.
So, nice story.
Definitely DD was more successful at trades than. Avila. No question about that.
There’s no doubt that DD is one of the best GMs in baseball. My issue with him is what he did to the Tigers. I know Mike has some blame. But, he traded away everything on the farm (including the tractors) and left the Tigers with a pile of bad contracts and a barren farm.
Obviously, Mike is responsible for Prince’s contract and Cabrera’s, but to be fair about Miggy’s, Mike knew it would become an albatross, but did it as a gift to Detroit so he would retire as a Tiger.
My biggest complaint with Avila was he would telegraph what he wanted to do before he did anything. He was not a good trader. Dombrowski was one of the best. The deal that brought Scherzer to Detroit was epic. Getting Fister was another. Anibal Sanchez too.
To his credit, Avila drafted well, but the Tigers also had high picks.
There was something about Avila’s tenure that just didn’t work. It took Mize forever to become effective. Parker Meadows also took forever. Faedo never really did. I don’t think anyone figured Carpenter would become what he has. Every team gets lucky with their middling/late draft picks. Same with Skubal.
It’s a really tough business. A GM’s job is waaaaay harder than it looks. I think Harris has had some misses too, but so far, he looks more like a Dombrowski than Avila.
I loved Mike Illitch. He was a blue collar guy who made pizzas. He played some professional baseball. He made millions and never forgot his roots. He knew he had more money than he could ever spend and he spent it on things he was passionate about. Man, did I want that guy to win a WS.
Chris, OTOH, has never really had to worry. I get it. He’s the kid of the guy who made all the money. His perspective is totally different. He comes at it like a business. Nothing wrong with that. His approach appears to be working. If we, as Tiger fans, get lucky, our team might be entering a real golden era. For a franchise as old as the Tigers, we should have a lot more trophies. Maybe our time has finally come.
Dombrowski brought a championship to the Red Sox in 2018 and the Phillies are perpetual post-season contenders since he’s joined. He’s not an awful GM.
I agree with you sick of Ibanez pitch hitting for Sweeney and then hitting into double plays. You would not see Sweeney hitting into double plays with his speed. He would simply strike out instead.
Ibanez isn’t going anywhere. He plays excellent D. Pitchers can’t rest on him. Great bench piece.
Ryan Cusick apparently DFA’d. Picked up from the A’s off waivers
Can’t wait to see him back in action! Would love to see him back in the leadoff spot and Kerry back to the middle of the order.
I’m excited to have him back. I think he’s an MVP caliber player. He may end up leading the league in triples this year! He’s like I’ll give you all a 50 game head start.
Now, hold my beer.
I do, too, if he can reach his hitting potential. He’s already one of the best defensive CF I’ve ever seen. I’m looking forward to an OF of Greene (LF), Parker (CF) & Max (RF).
84 who is Max (RF)?
Max Clark
Thanks. I was thinking current mlbers.
What about Parkers brother? Did he ever get his anxiety under control? Would like to see someone give him another shot unless he is happy being out of baseball.
I did look into him recently and there has been no baseball news whatsoever. There’s a YouTube video by Trevor May about him. Trevor (former MLBer) does a pretty good job with his videos.
Interesting supposition. Possible.
If it is anxiety that is pervasive enough to be treated daily, well, if it’s benzos like Klonopin you cant play MLB ball on that.
Where’s Parker going to play when Javy has CF on lockdown??
CF. Parker is a GG-caliber CF. Javy – who has been excellent in CF – doesn’t have it on lockdown. Perez has been playing CF.
That said, Javy will probably still get some reps in CF when he’s not at 3B when the Tigers face a tough LH.
Javy will make a decent platoon option as a right-handed bat vs. Meadows, Sweeney, and McKinstry, all lefties.
Can all-time CF Javy Baez really play the infield too, you think? Mookie Betts 2.0 over here.
Javy is SS tonight.
Javy made a great play at SS tonight. Threw a guy out from his knees. Then he moved over to 2B and started a nice 4-6-3 DP. And he got a base hit. Javy has really turned it around.
It helps every guy in this lineup that pretty much everybody is hitting. Pitchers can’t relax. They can’t pitch around anybody.
That was an incredible play. That throw had a lot of mustard on it for a throw from his knees.
I’m just here for the positive vibes that can conveniently be found in the comment section of the best team in MLB
The team is proving they are for real! Fun being a Tigers fan! 😃
I actually think Baez and McKinstry hold down SS and 3B as well as any combo the Tigers could put out there. One RH’d and the other LH’d. McKinstry has a very underrated arm, IMHO.
McGonigal looks more like a 2B to me. He won’t be here til next year. Reiner probably not until ’27. That kid, still early, looks like a Bobby Witt, Jr. kinda player. Can’t wait.
Nice player, but he definitely has the name of somebody’s high school girlfriend.
I’ve met literally zero girls named Parker.
The only girl named Parker I even know of is Parker Posey, who hasn’t been relevant since the 90’s as an actress.
Thus I question YOUR high-school girlfriends more than I do Parker Meadows and his name
Since I’m already well aware of your reputation, Diabetic Rockstar, as the world’s leading expert on all things Parker, I’m in no position to challenge you. I graciously concede this argument to you.
Glad to see Meadows back in the saddle again.
Hope his brother is doing better.
If, his brother ever wants to come back to MLB baseball, then it would be cool to see the Meadows brothers play together again on the same Tigers team.
Javier Baez was just getting his mojo back in CF and rejuvenating his career.
Hope AJ keeps Javier in the mix and contributing to this winning 1st place Tigers team.
“As the best team in baseball, the Tigers are last on the waiver priority list”.
Love this so much after so long of the literal opposite.
Right? Also lots of former Tigers getting spots on other teams.
One thing I like about Harris is he’s not afraid to cut guys he’s acquired like some GMs are. Nick Maton comes to mind. Cusick was just picked up, but Harris let him go for Meadows since he was the least likely to help the Tigers.
Man, I like the look of tonight’s lineup vs CHI RH Cannon:
CF-Meadows
2B-Torres
DH-Carpenter
LF-Greene
C-Dingler
1B-Keith
3B-McKinstry
RF-Perez
SS-Baez
Our lineup got a lot longer. Plus, we have Tork available to PH against LH if needed.
Indeed. 8-0 Tigers in the bottom of the fourth. No PH needed!
That was a fun game! Fireworks galore from the offense and great defensive plays by Parker, Javy and Dillon/Z-Mack.
Great Game 1 of a series: wore out their pitching staff, while it was an easy night for ours. The defense extended Flaherty’s start another inning, while the offense allowed Dylan Smith and Brebbia to pitch in low-stress situations. Congrats to D-Smith on his MLB debut.