Injuries & Moves: Canha day to day with illness
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May 8: OF/1B Mark Canha day to day with respiratory illness
Canha missed out on the Tigers’ offensive onslaught Tuesday, but he was no better Wednesday. He was spotted in street clothes grabbing some food in the clubhouse at Progressive Field before the series finale. It’s different than the food poisoning that sidelined Wenceel Pérez for a couple days earlier in the week, but it’s a similar end result.
“He’s not feeling well,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “He’s gonna go get some rest. Hopefully this is the end of the sickness coming through our team. We’ve already had a couple coaches, a few players, staff members [sidelined]. It hasn’t been a great road trip health-wise, so we’re kind of quarantining him at this point to get him away from the rest of us until further notice.”
May 7: OF Parker Meadows optioned to Triple-A Toledo; OF/IF Ryan Vilade selected from Triple-A Toledo
The Tigers have prioritized opportunities for young hitters since last offseason, but Meadows became the first Tiger whose opportunity ran out, at least for now. The 24-year-old had been Detroit’s primary center fielder since making his MLB debut last August, but his early season struggles combined with a hitting tear from Wenceel Pérez increasingly cut into playing time.
Meadows came into the season off a hot Spring Training but batted 7-for-73 (.096) this season with a double, triple, two home runs, three RBIs, 11 walks and 32 strikeouts. He ranked at or near the bottom percentile among MLB players in expected batting average (.112), expected slugging percentage (.260), strikeout rate (37.6 percent) and average exit velocity (84.6 mph), all dramatic downturns from 2023.
Much of his struggles can be traced to fastballs, off which he has hit just 3-for-39 (.077, down from .244 last year) with a 27.7 percent whiff rate (up from 17.2 percent last year). Meadows talked last month about trying to get his timing back on fastballs while still being ready for offspeed pitches, but he ultimately struggled with both, going 1-for-16 with a 50 percent whiff rate on offspeed this season.
While the sample size isn’t large enough to make an overarching judgment, it’s big enough to suggest he needed to take a step back. Meadows started both ends of last Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Cardinals, then didn’t start for three consecutive games before starting Sunday at New York and Monday at Cleveland while Perez was sidelined with food poisoning. Meadows had become a strong candidate to go to Toledo when Gio Urshela returns from the injured list, but Detroit’s offensive struggles elsewhere in the lineup -- plus a need for another right-handed bat with left-handed starters looming in two of Detroit’s next three games -- accelerated the timetable.
“He needs to play,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “To take advantage of that defense that he can offer and defend himself with the bat, he really needs to be in the lineup. I thought things were trending a tick better in recent days. It was going to be hard to catch up with the numbers with how many at-bats he’d have. … We’re going to see a ton of left-handed pitching in the next 10-14 days. It was time for him to go get some regular playing time, reset himself, get his timing back and be the player that we expect him to be.”
With several prospects working out of slow starts at Toledo, Detroit turned to Vilade, a Minor League free agent signing last November who hit .333 (26-for-78) for the Mud Hens with eight doubles, three home runs, 17 RBIs, a .949 OPS and eight stolen bases in nine attempts. The 25-year-old right-handed hitter made at least one start at every position except catcher and shortstop. It’ll mark his second MLB stint, having gone 0-for-6 in three games for the Rockies in 2021.
10-DAY/15-DAY INJURED LIST
IF Gio Urshela (right hamstring strain)
Expected return: Possibly mid-May
Urshela injured his hamstring running out a ground ball on April 19 against the Twins. He ran the bases and took batting practice on May 7 in Cleveland, and will do so again on May 8. If all goes well, he could begin a rehab assignment sometime soon after the Tigers return home on May 10.
“I’ve been running and doing everything with the team; we are close," Urshela said. "If everything goes well, I should be playing soon." (Last updated: May 7)
60-DAY INJURED LIST
RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (left groin strain, right forearm tightness)
Expected return: 2025
After having UCL repair surgery on his right elbow, Gipson-Long is completing rehab daily in Lakeland, Fla. The Tigers transferred him from the 15-day to 60-day injured list on May 7 to open a 40-man roster spot. (Last updated: May 7)