As the Yankees look to retake the AL East from the Tampa Bay Rays, they won’t have to worry about one batter who has given them fits in the division.
On Monday, the Rays traded OF Austin Meadows to the Detroit Tigers for infielder Isaac Paredes and a competitive balance pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. While the deal doesn’t have to do with the Yankees directly, the Rays won’t have Meadows’ bat in their lineup moving forward.
In 2021, Meadows played 17 games against the Yanks and batted .279 with eight home runs and 21 RBI.
Meadows’ success against the Yankees wasn’t just in games in the middle of the season — he had some incredible moments when it mattered most. On Oct. 2, with the Yankees needing a win to clinch a playoff spot, Meadows hit a three-run home run in the Rays’ 12-2 rout that put the game away.
In his career, Meadows has a .267 batting average, an OPS of .937, 14 HR, and 30 RBI against the Bombers. So while the Rays will still have a formidable team in 2022, they’ll be without quite possibly their best hitter against the rival Yankees.
The Yankees will take on the Rays 16 times in the 2022 season, but won’t face them until May 26. Detroit and the Yankees will face each other six times this season, with the first meeting coming on April 19.