Tigers' Parker Meadows returns in emphatic way

Douglas Santo

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Tigers' Parker Meadows returns in emphatic way image

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers welcomed the return of outfielder Parker Meadows from the injured list on Friday, and the former second-round pick brought instant juice.

Meadows had been out since July 27, dealing with a right quad strain, but returned in an emphatic way against the Chicago White Sox. The Tigers' outfielder had just two at-bats in his return, but reached base both times.

Meadows hit a two-run home run in his first at-bat to tie the game, 2-2, and then walked in his second at-bat before getting pinch hit for and taking the rest of the night to rest.

Meadows Delivers in Return From Injury

Friday night wasn't the first time Meadows provided fireworks for the Tigers. Exactly one year ago to the day, The Tigers outfielder hit a go-ahead grand slam against the San Diego Padres with two outs in the top of the ninth inning.

So what better way to announce his return then to hit a game-tying home run in his first at-bat back? It wasn't as crucial of a situation, and the Tigers' couldn't fend off the White Sox for the rest of the night, but Meadows return was everything the Tigers could've hoped for.

"We talk about how he can impact this team, and that’s a lot of what we missed," manager A.J. Hinch said (h/t MLB.com). "Even without the homer, the walk, the energy in center field, being able to run down a ball that seemingly was going to hit the ground pretty quickly, and he comes out of nowhere."

In addition to his home run and walk, Meadows' manager is referencing his other highlight play of the night. In the sixth inning, Meadows made a diving catch in centerfield to rob White Sox's Michael A. Taylor of a hit and potentially extra-bases.

The initial catch probability on Meadows diving catch was 25 percent, and the Tigers' outfielder reached 28.8 feet per second, which has a to be a good sign for his quad's health.

"Just got a good jump on it and tried to make a play," Meadows said (h/t MLB.com). "It felt good to do that. Just glad to get back out there with the guys. It felt good, felt free, just running around out there. It feels really good to be back."

The Tigers couldn't pull out the win on Friday night, but getting Meadows back and seeing his performance was a win on its own. If Meadows can be a crucial part of Detroit's lineup down the stretch, the Tigers could chase down the Toronto Blue Jays for the No. 1 seed in the American League.

"It felt good," Meadows said (h/t MLB.com). "On the rehab stint, my timing had been a little off, but obviously tonight it felt really good."

Douglas Santo

Douglas Santo is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. As a senior at Arizona State University, he will complete his B.A. in sports journalism with a minor in business in December 2025. Before his time with Sporting News, Douglas covered the NFL and MLB for Athlon Sports and contributed as a digital reporter for Arizona PBS/Cronkite News. He is also the head of Sun Devil Daily, managing all content produced about Arizona State Sports.