Tigers fans can't lose sight of key development after putting Yankees in their place

The Detroit Tigers absolutely obliterated the New York Yankees on Tuesday night in the Bronx. Detroit's bats took a huge bite out of the Big Apple racking up 12 runs on nine hits. The Tigers boat-raced the Yankees by the final score of 12-2 and are just a ½ game back of the Toronto Blue Jays in the chase for the best record in the American League and the No. 1 overall seed in the MLB Postseason.

But lost in the shuffle of Tuesday's beatdown was the return of Parker Meadows. The Tigers centerfielder went 3-for-5 including a home run in the fifth inning off Yankees pitcher Will Warren. Meadows scored two runs and racked up three RBI in just his third game back from an extended stint on the injured list.

Tigers fans can't lose sight of Parker Meadows' performance after putting Yankees in their place

Meadows has been in the midst of a down-year. Before landing on the IL back in late-July with a right quad strain, the 25-year-old outfielder was hitting just .200/.270/.296 with a 59 wRC+. That's a far cry from the numbers Meadows put up in 2024 (.244/.310/.433 with a 110 wRC+).

Meadows has been on and off the IL this season, but if he's fully healthy heading into the playoffs, he could be a key piece of AJ Hinch's lineup in October. The Tigers' skipper may not be ready to fully trust his young outfielder, but with the right-handed hitting Javier Baez also able to handle center field duties, Meadows could be viewed as more of a wild card heading into postseason play.

While Hinch can't afford to just play Meadows willy-nilly — after all they're still in the hunt for the top seed in the AL — taking advantage of pitching matchups and finding the appropriate times to get his bat into the lineup should be a priority with less than three weeks remaining in the regular season.

Was Tuesday's performance a harbinger of things to come or just a blip on the radar? The only way to find out is to get Meadows into the lineup more often. Dismantling Yankees' pitching on Tuesday night was a good start, and Tigers fans are hoping to see more of the same.

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