Detroit Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows ruled out for Opening Day with nerve injury
The Detroit Tigers will be without their center fielder and leadoff hitter for Opening Day.
Parker Meadows — a key player who sparked last year's 31-11 run to the postseason — has been ruled out by Tigers manager A.J. Hinch for the start of the 2025 season because of a right upper arm nerve issue that has shut him down from swinging and throwing for the past three weeks.
The musculocutaneous nerve hasn't reactivated.
Even if the nerve wakes up now, Meadows doesn't have enough time to get ready for Opening Day on March 27 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He joins fellow outfielder Matt Vierling and right-hander Alex Cobb as Tigers who won't be active for Opening Day.
Without Meadows, the Tigers will hand Wenceel Pérez the responsibilities as the primary center fielder, possibly making him the leadoff hitter against right-handed pitchers.
Riley Greene is going to be the everyday left fielder, but he will receive some reps in center field, especially in late-game situations when the Tigers pinch-hit for Pérez. Greene is no stranger to center field after roaming the big part of the outfield on an everyday basis in 2022 and 2023, but the Tigers moved him to left field in 2024 in an effort to keep his legs healthy.
As for Pérez, he doesn't have as much experience in center.
The 25-year-old logged 179⅓ innings in center in his 112-game MLB career, all in the 2024 season. He also had 647 innings in right field and 20 innings in left field. Although Pérez graded as an above-average right fielder, he was worth minus-4 defensive runs saved in center field.
Whether or not the Tigers make an external addition to help in center field depends on the return-to-play timelines for Meadows and Vierling. That's because both Meadows and Vierling are ahead of Pérez on the depth chart for center field.
As of now, the Tigers don't have a timetable for Meadows to return from his musculocutaneous nerve injury or Vierling to return from his right shoulder strain.
The injured outfielders will be eligible to return as soon as April 6 from the 10-day injured list, but if the Tigers won't have one of them healthy by late April, then there could be an external addition to handle center field until someone is ready to return.
The impact of Meadows' absence is significant.
In 2024, the Tigers posted a .653 winning percentage in games he started (49-26) and an even better .738 winning percentage when he recorded a hit (31-11).
What Meadows accomplished in 2024 is a sign that All-Star-caliber and Gold Glove-caliber production could happen in the 2025 season: He hit .299 with an .857 OPS in his final 50 games after returning from Triple-A Toledo, thanks to a swing change, all while showcasing elite defense in center field and elite speed on the bases.
The Tigers, though, will be without Meadows to begin the 2025 campaign.
And there's no timeline for his return.
It's a massive loss.
Free Press columnist Jeff Seidel contributed to this report.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Parker Meadows out for Opening Day with nerve injury
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