The
Detroit Tigers selected Meadows in the second round, with the 44th overall selection, of the
2018 MLB draft. Meadows signed with the Tigers organization and received a $2.5 million signing bonus, nearly a full $1 million above the slot value for the 44th overall pick. Meadows began his professional career with the rookie-level
Gulf Coast League Tigers, where he hit .284 with an OBP of .376, to go with four
home runs in just 22 games. He would get called up to the Low-A
Connecticut Tigers to finish the rest of the 2018 campaign where he continued the strong start to his professional career, going 6-for-19 (.316 average) in his six games at that level. In the lead-up to, and following, the 2019 season, he would be listed within the top 12 Tigers prospects in the organization by various outlets, including a rating as high as ninth. In that 2019 season, Meadows spent the entire year with the Single-A
West Michigan Whitecaps. Meadows saw a dip in productivity, falling to a .221 batting average and .296 OBP, however he also hit seven home runs and drove in 40 RBIs while stealing 14 bases. He walked 47 times over the course of the season, though he struck out 113 times as well. Meadows was not selected to be part of the Tigers alternate training squad for the shortened
2020 MLB season, however, with the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season, Meadows continued to work out at his parents' residence in Loganville and Grayson High School. On September 3, Meadows was among four Tigers minor league players called up for the Tigers' alternate training site in Toledo. On November 15, 2022, the Tigers added Meadows to their
40-man roster to protect him from the
Rule 5 draft. Meadows was optioned to the Triple-A
Toledo Mud Hens to begin the 2023 season. Meadows' contract was selected by the Tigers on August 21, and he made his major league debut against the
Chicago Cubs that evening. In his third at-bat, Meadows singled off Cubs starter
Javier Assad for his first major league hit. His first MLB home run was a three-run
walk-off to right field off
Ryan Pressly on August 25 that ended a 4–1 home win over the
Houston Astros. On May 8, 2024, following a poor start to the 2024 season (7-for-73, .096 BA), Meadows was again optioned to the Mud Hens. He was recalled on July 5, and hit .299 over the remainder of the season. Overall, he played 82 games for the Tigers, hitting .244 with 9 home runs and 27 RBI. On February 22, 2025, in the first
Grapefruit League game, he suffered an injury to the
musculocutaneous nerve in his upper right arm. He missed
Opening Day after being placed on the
60-day injured list on March 24. On June 2, Meadows was activated from the injured list. He played in 58 games for the Tigers, hitting .215 with four home runs and 16 RBI. On April 10, 2026, Meadows was placed on the injured list due to a concussion, fractured left
radius bone, and five stitches required for his mouth; the injuries had been suffered when he collided with fellow outfielder
Riley Greene in a game against the
Minnesota Twins the previous day. Meadows was transferred to the 60-day injured list three days later. ==References==