Austin Meadows, who hasn’t seen game time for the Pirates since July 8, expressed his readiness for future opportunities. Shortly after his statement, he learned that he would be joining the Indianapolis team.
Meadows, who was batting 0.404 on June 2 after playing 14 games in the majors, was sent down to Indianapolis on Sunday. The 23-year-old player had experienced a decline in playing time and a drop in his batting average. He had not been a part of the starting lineup since his 1 for 4 performance on July 8 and had only made ten at-bats, registering two hits in the last eight games.
The Pirates GM, Neal Huntington, mentioned that this decision could have been made earlier but was postponed to avoid shortage issues with the bench during the busy schedule of 9 games in 8 days. He also explained that Meadows was initially promoted in May due to an injury to Starling Marte.
Huntington stated, “When we brought Austin up, it was because Starling Marte was expected to be out for seven days to two weeks. Austin was our top choice for center field defensively and showed promise with the bat. We believed he was still on the path to readiness.”
Meadows is set to make an appearance this week as the Indians play against Gwinnett during the MLB All-Star break. Despite the opportunity, Meadows expressed a preference for staying with the Pirates, even if it means limited playing time.
To fill Meadows’ vacant roster spot, the Pirates have called up Tanner Anderson from Triple-A. Clayton Holmes, who was brought up as the 26th man for Saturday’s doubleheader, has been sent to Indianapolis.
