Top prospect Meadows to have MRI on hamstring

Austin Meadows was limited last season with a lingering hamstring injury, and it appears the Pirates are ensuring that does not happen again.

Meadows, the organization's top prospect, was removed following the first inning of Triple-A Indianapolis' 4-0 loss to Toledo Wednesday afternoon after feeling discomfort in his right hamstring and will have an MRI to determine the severity of the injury, according to Brian Peloza of Pirates Prospects.



The outfielder experienced discomfort while running to first base during his groundout in the bottom of the first inning, and did not return to the field once Phil Gosselin recorded the third out of the inning.

Meadows, who is just 21 years old, earned a promotion to Triple-A last season but was limited to 42 games because of a right hamstring injury. He tried playing through it, but was forced to sit once the pain affected his performance.

Meadows finished the season with the Indians batting .214 with six home runs and 24 RBI in 145 plate appearances.

After excelling in spring training this year, Meadows started slow in 2017, a product of what Indianapolis manager Andy Barkett described to DKPittsburghSports.com as "outside pressures" that come with being a top prospect, particularly after the suspension of Starling Marté.

He had a 1-for-23 slump before raising his average to .262 on May 28. His average has since dipped to .249, but Meadows has shown the intangibles that have him ranked as the No. 6 best prospect in baseball.

Often batting No. 2 in the order, Meadows has four home runs and 35 RBI in 63 games. Neal Huntington has said the Pirates hope the left-handed hitter could help the major-league club at some point this season.

His injury last season was particularly frustrating since Meadows broke his orbital bone last March and returned to bat .311 with 16 doubles, six home runs, 23 RBI and only 32 strikeouts in 190 plate appearances for Double-A Altoona.

The hamstring injury led him to focus his offseason on learning how to maintain his body throughout a rigorous season, focusing on yoga and other core exercises.

"For me it was about maintaining my body and maintaining my health for this year. This offseason I did yoga and stuff like that to maintain my flexibility and stay durable," Meadows told DKPittsburghSports.com last month in Columbus, Ohio.