Detroit Tigers outfielder Parker Meadows spent Thursday night, April 9 in a Minneapolis, Minnesota hospital after a terrifying collision during a game against the Twins.
Meadows, 26, was chasing a fly ball in the 8th inning when he collided head-to-head with teammate Riley Greene. Greene made the catch while Meadows was left motionless on the ground with a bloodied face.
“It’s a terrible feeling. I still feel terrible,” Greene, 25, told reporters after the game. “He hit my head. I don’t know where I hit him, to be honest, but I just really hope he’s OK.”
Meadows and Greene came up through the Tigers’ minor league system at the same time and remain close friends.
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“He’s my teammate, one of my great friends,” Greene said, “so super hard to see him on the ground after we collided.”
Meadows remained on the ground for several minutes, appearing to take on what’s known as a “fencing posture,” a common indicator of a concussion, which manager A.J. Hinch confirmed after the game that he has.
“That was an ugly, scary one, and there’s a lot of concern for him,” Hinch, 51, said, according to MLB.com. “When we got out there, it looked like he had bit his lip or inside his mouth, so there was some blood, and he was pretty out of it.”
He continued, “Those are scary collisions. You don’t know what you’re going to get when you get there. Obviously we’re going to get him checked out for everything, but this one worries me.”
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Medical staff eventually helped the outfielder sit up, then guided him to a waiting golf cart to help him off the field. Meadows’ left arm was also placed in a sling, though the Tigers have not yet released the full extent of his injuries.
“You just hope everybody has thoughts and prayers with him, and he’s going to be all right,” Detroit pitcher Jack Flaherty said. “He’s a tough guy. We continue to pray over him. Tough way to end the series. Just pray to God for Parker. He’s as good of a guy as they come. Scary situation.”
The Tigers drafted Meadows in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia, and he made his MLB debut in 2023. He has played in 12 of Detroit’s 13 games in 2026, hitting .250 with a double and triple so far.
Detroit ultimately lost the game, 3-1, as the Twins finished off a four-game sweep of their division rivals.
