Tigers' Austin Meadows details his scary bout with vertigo
Austin Meadows wasn't sure how long he would sit out.
Likewise, the Detroit Tigers weren't sure how long they would be without Meadows.
The 27-year-old, an All-Star in 2019, couldn't play because of vertigo.
"We're all human," Meadows said Friday. "You think of those things. You think of worst-case scenarios and best-case scenarios. In my case, the best-case scenario was being able to miss two or three weeks and being able to get back as soon as I could."
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Before Meadows' return Tuesday, he missed several games in May, reporting a sinus infection, and last took the field May 15 against the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park. He came out of the game after one plate appearance, citing dizziness and vertigo.
Meadows felt dizzy all the time and experienced a false sense his surroundings were spinning. This sensation occurred when he was sitting, standing and moving.
"I'm just managing it now," Meadows said. "When it happened, I didn't really know what was going on."
He was arguably the Tigers' best hitter at the time, and having to watch games from afar instead of being on the field was "super hard" for him.
Meadows rested for a week at his home in Tampa, Florida, then began baseball activities in Lakeland, home of the Tigers' spring training facility. Once he passed a battery of tests, the organization cleared him June 1 to begin a rehab assignment with Class AAA Toledo.
After four games for the Mud Hens, Meadows packed his bags and traveled to Pittsburgh, where he entered the Tigers' starting lineup Tuesday against the Pirates at PNC Park.
"I couldn't be more thankful," Meadows said. "It could've been one of those things that could've been a long time. I'm just glad that I'm back. I had to be patient, but missing three weeks compared to a lot longer was huge."
Meadows, a left-handed hitter, is batting .259 with 13 walks and 17 strikeouts in 31 games, though he is still waiting for his first MLB home run this season. He launched a solo home run for Toledo on June 4.
He was an April 5 addition to the Tigers — three days before Opening Day — in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Despite missing three weeks, Meadows is healthy and refuses to use his stint with vertigo as an excuse for his performance at the plate. Still, the fifth-year MLB outfielder missed a significant amount of time and received just 16 plate appearances during his rehab assignment.
Meadows has played three games since returning to the Tigers. He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts Tuesday, 2-for-3 with one walk Wednesday and 0-for-4 one strikeout Friday.
"Being a little bit behind the eight-ball is not ideal, but we still got a lot of games left," he said. "I got plenty of time. ... I feel like I could feel worse. I feel better. That's what the big leagues is for. Just go out there, compete and try to win games."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.