CHICAGO (AP) — Parker Meadows had a big smile on his face. It had been a long time since he had played in a major league game.
Meadows was activated by the Detroit Tigers on Monday after missing the start of the season because of a nerve issue in his upper right arm. He started in center field and led off for the opener of a three-game series at the Chicago White Sox.
“I didn’t sleep much last night, just thinking about the day,” Meadows said. “Excited to be here.”
The major league-leading Tigers optioned infielder/outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy to Triple-A Toledo after Sunday’s at Kansas City. To make room for Meadows on the 40-man roster, right-hander Ryan Cusick was designated for assignment.
Meadows was injured in Detroit’s spring training opener Feb. 22 on a throw from center field. He appeared in eight rehab games in the minors beginning on May 21, batting .259 with a homer and five RBIs.
“He’s a glue guy, and the guys love him,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “He played at an incredibly high level for us on both sides of the ball, and we have missed him. Our guys have done a really good job of kind of picking up the pieces and being able to adjust to life without him, but we’re better with him.”
Meadows, 25, hit .244 with nine homers and 28 RBIs in 82 games for Detroit last season. He also batted .269 (7 for 26) in seven postseason games, helping the Tigers reach the AL Division Series.
The road back to the majors took longer than Meadows expected when he first got hurt.
“It was tough, but just put my head down and worked every day,” he said. “We’ve got a really good training staff here. Keep a good head on my shoulders and they got me right.”
One of the last steps for Meadows before rejoining Detroit was trying a couple of hard throws during his rehab stint.
“At first it was a little eh,” he said. “But the more throws I made, the better it felt. It feels good now.”
The return of Meadows gives Hinch another option on a versatile Tigers team that had won six of seven going into the matchup with the last-place White Sox.
Javier Báez, who played an impressive center field while Meadows was out, was back at shortstop for the series opener in Chicago. Hinch said Báez is going to move around the diamond.
“I told Javy, ‘Don’t take the outfield glove (and) throw it away. You’re still going to need it,’” Hinch said.
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