BRADENTON, Fla. – The Pittsburgh Pirates have reassigned top prospect Austin Meadows to minor league camp. This is a bit late for such a move, since a prospect like Meadows usually would have been sent down to minor league camp much earlier than this in order to get ready for his season. The World Baseball Classic created an opportunity where Meadows could get additional time in the outfield in big league camp, with all three starting outfielders participating in the tournament.
Andrew McCutchen recently returned to games, and will be in the lineup today. Meanwhile, Meadows is already in minor league camp and will be playing in the Triple-A game today up in Dunedin.
Meadows should make his MLB debut this season, serving as a replacement for an injury or poor performance in the second half. He will need additional time to get experience in Triple-A, and get ready for the big leagues. He has also been focusing on keeping healthy, after missing some time last year with injuries. He’s the eventual replacement for Andrew McCutchen in the Pirates’ outfield, and should be one of the three starters by this time next year.