Detroit Tigers roster cuts: Parker Meadows and Andre Lipcius optioned to Triple-A

The Detroit Tigers have sent two of their top performers this spring to Triple-A

Parker Meadows and Andre Lipcius have been two of the top performers this spring for the Detroit Tigers. Just this past Saturday, Meadows was 3-3 with two home runs and four RBIs. There had been some serious discussion abiut adding them both to the Opening Day roster. We now know that won't happen.

Today, the Detroit Tigers announced they had optioned both Meadows and Lipcius to Triple-A along with pitchers Rony Garcia and Brendan White. LHP Zach Logue was also assigned to minor league camp. There are 49 players left in big league camp.

These moves have already rubbed some people the wrong way, and that's understandable. Both Meadows and Lipcius have been outstanding this spring, and even Brendan White has flashed. Yet, the Tigers opted to go in a different direction.

Here's what A.J. Hinch had to say about cutting those three players, per Chris McCosky of The Detroit News

When you come to camp as a first-year, 40-man player, you can do a lot of things. You can move your timeline up or you can move your timeline back. I told all of those guys they did nothing but help themselves.

That doesn't give us a ton of insight to the reasoning behind the cuts, but he is right. None of these guys did anything to hurt their stock in the organization. They just need a bit more seasoning in the minors.

And now, it's time for me to take some people off the ledge. Look, I wanted Meadows and Lipcius to make the roster as much as anybody. Both of them would have added some excitement to this roster, especially Meadows. But I get why they sent them to Triple-A.

Lipcius only has 46 games at the Triple-A level. It was a good 46 games, but 46 games nonetheless. He had an impressive camp, but the Tigers obviously wanted to see more of him in Toledo. He will absolutely play in Detroit at some point this season.

Same goes for Meadows. He hasn't even played in Triple-A yet. What this allows him to do is get some more everyday at-bats. He really needs those against lefties, though two of his four homers this spring came against southpaws, which was a welcome sight.

That's what both of these players need: everyday at-bats. They wouldn't get those in Detroit. They would probably play every two or three games, which is not good for their development. These cuts make more sense than most people realize.

Both Parker Meadows and Andre Lipcius are going to play for the Detroit Tigers at some point this season barring a complete disaster. They just need a bit more time to develop. In a season where the Tigers aren't likely to compete, that's probably for the best.