The Detroit Tigers acquired outfielder Austin Meadows last April in a trade that sent infielder Isaac Paredes and a competitive balance round B pick in the 2022 amateur draft to the Tampa Bay Rays in return. Unfortunately, Meadows' time with the Tigers has been anything but what they were envisioning upon his acquisition, while Tigers fans have had to watch Paredes enjoy success with his new team and wonder what could have been in Detroit.

Austin Meadows has been on the IL since April 6

Meadows came to the Tigers with the expectation that he would be a consistent contributor to the offense after having hit .234 with 27 home runs and a career-high 106 RBIs in 2021 with Tampa Bay. Unfortunately, he was limited to a mere 36 games in 2022 while battling a variety of issues that included a bout of COVID-19 and vertigo, Achilles tendinitis, as well as anxiety.

He's only appeared in six games this season before going right back on the 60-Day Injured List in early April owing to his anxiety issues and has not suited up since.

A.J. Hinch provided the latest update on Meadows' condition

According to manager A.J. Hinch, Meadows is continuing to receive treatment in Florida but isn't any closer to returning to the Tigers.

“Austin has been getting treatment at home. He’s also traveled to a few different places to continue trying to get better,” Hinch said. “He’s seen some incremental gains. He’s also had some rough times. So he’s not doing any baseball activity right now to speak of. We’re still hopeful that he’s going to get up and running and going. This hasn’t been a smooth road for him.”

“We’ve been in contact with him and his team, but there’s no definitive plan to get him back into baseball activity. Until that time, there’s really no more update than that. That’s the next step for him. And until that happens, we can’t really think about what’s ahead.”

Key Points

• Austin Meadows has been on the IL since April
• His anxiety issues are what's keeping him away from baseball right now
• While he's been receiving treatment, there's no timetable for his return to Detroit

Wrapping It Up: We hope Meadows can return soon

Mental health is no joke, and while it was once viewed as a taboo subject to even discuss in professional sports circles, the critical issues that it can cause have become more and more apparent in recent years, with teams providing specific care for those who are experiencing it.

We are hoping that Meadows can get himself right and successfully overcome any demons that he's battling and hopefully make a return to the Tigers lineup in the near future.

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