Austin Meadows, the Detroit Tigers outfielder, has announced that he will not be returning to the diamond this year as he prioritizes mental health. Meadows had been getting in extra work these past few months as he continues to work his way back from an Achilles injury.
Meadows recently came out and said this, “What I have told very few people is that I also have been struggling with my mental health in a way that has extended my time away from the game that I love so much. I’ve been dealing with this privately with a great team of professionals. But I need to continue to put in the hard work off the field towards feeling mentally healthy.”
He continued by mentioning that he has been back in the team clubhouse lately, and wants to stick around for the rest of this season. The only problem is that he just isn’t ready to get himself back onto the field yet, but he has made it clear that the teammates and professionals around him are helping him push through this difficult time.
Manager A.J. Hinch said this regarding Meadow’s announcement, “He wanted to share with everyone what he’s going through. I commend him for doing it. I’m very proud of him. It’s not easy in this sport, as an athlete, as a competitor, to admit when you need help outside the normal scope of baseball. We’ll offer him all the support we can, and we have been. It’s tough to hear, but I very much feel good about the path ahead. He’s on a great path, surrounded by a lot of great people. He’s got a ton of support, and his statement speaks for itself.”
Austin Meadows Has Suffered A Rough Stretch
Tigers was previously on the Tampa Bay Rays before he got traded to the Tigers before the end of Spring Training. He was flipped over in exchange for infielder Isaac Paredes. Meadows blasted away 33 home runs in 2019 for the Rays. Followed by another 27 home runs for the organization last year.
The injuries have just begun piling up for him over the years. Meadows picked up a non-COVID illness back in May. This started an entire cycle. When he was coming in and out of the rotation because of it, he fell onto the injured list with vertigo a few weeks later. Shortly after that, he was once again sick. This time on the COVID-19 list. Then finally, he was working at Triple-A Toledo during a rehab assignment. This was when his Achilles started to flare up on both of his feet.
Meadows wasn’t pressured into this decision to speak up about his mental health, it was entirely his choice. This isn’t the first athlete in professional sports to come out and speak about the important of mental health. Something everybody should be paying attention to. It’s good to hear that Meadows is getting the help and attention that he needs. Hopefully we will be able to see him on the field again shortly.
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