Austin Meadows will finally receive his first audition in the major leagues. The Pirates announced Thursday night they intend to recall Meadows, their No. 2 prospect according to Baseball America, from Triple-A before first pitch against the Padres Friday.
Meadows, 23, went 3 for 5 with two runs in Indianapolis' victory at Norfolk earlier Thursday, stretching his hitting streak to seven games, and he's batting .294/.336/.397 in 32 games this season. Although the Pirates did not announce a corresponding roster move, Starling Marte, who suffered an oblique injury in a win over the White Sox Tuesday, is likely headed to the disabled list, which will give Meadows an opportunity to play center field.
Meadows, drafted ninth overall in 2013, was limited to 72 games at Triple-A last season because of hamstring and oblique injuries, and his drop in production bumped him down 38 spots in Baseball America’s top 100.
The left-handed hitter had 10 doubles, one home run and 15 RBIs for Indianapolis this season, while splitting his time between center and left field. He batted .368/.429/.739 with four extra-base hits, including one home run, and eight RBIs in 19 at-bats in the Grapefruit League. That production rivaled that of major leaguers on the 40-man roster; however, he was reassigned to minor-league camp in mid-March. Neal Huntington called Meadows’ performance in spring training one of the more gratifying developments for the Pirates during their six weeks in Bradenton, Fla.
After all, Meadows’ ascent through the minor leagues was stalled by injuries the past two seasons. First, he missed the start of 2016 because of a broken orbital bone and was limited to 37 games in Triple-A that season because of a right hamstring injury.
He underperformed when on the field last season, too, batting .250/.311/.359 with 36 RBIs and 48 runs. It was a far cry from his production at Double-A in 2016, when he batted .311 with a .976 OPS, six home runs and 23 RBIs in 45 games, earning him the No. 6 spot in Baseball America’s top 100.
Meadows encountered a 1-for-21 slump early this month, but has 13 hits over his last seven games. If Meadows starts Friday against Padres right-hander Tyson Ross, the Pirates could have six left-handed hitters in the starting lineup, which will pose a challenge for Clint Hurdle, who prefers to not stack left-handed batters since an opponent can turn to a lefty reliever to take advantage of matchups later in games.