Austin Meadows Officially Returns to Game Action

Pittsburgh Pirates top hitting prospect Austin Meadows has been on the disabled list for the better part of the last month.  The cause was a pulled hamstring. He has finally returned to minor league action.

Austin Meadows has had a troubling season so far in 2017.  The year started with him putting together a really strong Spring Training.  However, like most top prospects, he was sent down to get more seasoning at Triple-A, given he only had 145 plate appearances and hit .214/.297/.460 in his short time in Indianapolis last season. The Pittsburgh Pirates outfield also seemed set with Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco, and Andrew McCutchen, and Austin Meadows serving as a fourth outfielder wouldn’t help in his development.

The return to Triple-A did not bode well for the top prospect.  Through April, Meadows was batting a meager .195, and his OPS was just .503. Also, in his 21 games played he struck out 20 times.  Meanwhile, he only produced three extra base hits in the month.  In his career, he has struck out far less than one time per game, and through April he was just at about one strikeout per game. What was really disappointing about Meadows’ sluggish start was the fact that Starling Marte was suspended two weeks into April.  The Pittsburgh Pirates top prospect could have taken advantage of the opportunity, but with his struggles at Triple-A, he did not warrant a promotion.

May and June

Meadows really rebounded well in May.   In 27 games he played in the month of May, Meadows had a batting average right at .300.  He also accumulated a .358 on-base percentage while slugging .445, giving him an OPS of .804. So it seemed Meadows turned the corner.  He started June off well, but a few weeks in he started to really tail off once again.  Fans started to question whether he was reverting back to his April form.

Finally, it was revealed that Austin Meadows would be heading to the disabled list due to a hamstring issue.  Austin Meadows has battled hamstring issues several times over the last few seasons.  Often times, he has tried to play through the injury and his performance has suffered because of it.  It very well could have been the case once again in June.

Return to Game Action

Meadows has been out since June 21st.  Once again having poor timing.  Gregory Polanco recently went on the disabled list.  Now would have been the ideal time to have Meadows make his début.  The Super Two date likely has passed, and he would have had plenty of at-bats at the Triple-A level.  However, once again, things did not line up well for the Pittsburgh Pirates or Meadows.

Next: A Look at Braeden Ogle

Still, he has now started his rehab assignment. Yesterday, Meadows received two at-bats for the Pittsburgh Pirates Gulf Coast affiliate, and he went 1-2 with a double.  Also, according to reports, he looked healthy while running. Also interestingly enough, Meadows played right field in the game.  There has been speculation that Polanco could be out until almost September.  If this is the case, and Jordan Luplow does not produce at the big league level, Meadows could be making his début once he returns and receives some healthy at-bats at the Triple-A level.