TORONTO – Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows keeps inching his way back to health, adding more baseball activities.

He is scheduled to throw to bases from the outfield May 17, which is more important than it might sound.

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“It’s a big step because the only thing that’s really holding him back has been this nerve waking up and him being able to respond with all the normal activities,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “So we’ll see how it is tomorrow.”

Meadows suffered an injury to the musculocutaneous nerve in his right bicep during the first spring training game on a throw. He is in Toronto with the Tigers as they try to ease him back from focusing on getting healthy and get him in a competitive mindset.

“He’s here on this trip, at least the first part of this trip, to get some of that work in a major league stadium, in front of a major league staff, get out of the rehab part of governing things,” Hinch said. “It’s the last step for him to hopefully get him to a rehab assignment soon.”

Meadows is on the 60-day injured list and he’s not eligible to return until May 26.

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But there are more steps to come. This is just proving he can handle a rehab assignment.

“He’s been progressing and doing better and better,” Hinch said. “He doesn’t have to be fully 100% back throwing wise to go on a rehab assignment. But I think for his mind for his readiness to go compete on the rehab level, tomorrow will be obviously very important.”

When is a rivalry not a rivalry?

It’s rivalry weekend in Major League Baseball.

And some of those rivalries are natural.

Like the Chicago Cubs against the White Sox. Or the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Angels. Or even the New York Yankees against the Mets.

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And some make complete sense based on proximity. Like the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Philadelphia Phillies. Or even Washington against Baltimore

But the Tigers against the Toronto Blue Jays? Um. … OK.

So, it’s a stretch.

Hinch was asked in the pregame: “Do you know much about the ’80s rivalries between those two teams?”

“Not a ton,” Hinch said. “I know rivalry weekend is here. They feature a lot of games across the ledger. This one may not be the one that’s being circled by the fans as being a part of the weekend, but here we are.”

He was being diplomatic. Calling this a rivalry is a stretch in any sense of the imagination.

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When Hinch was asked about the proximity of the two cities, Hinch was stumped.

“I don’t know where to go with that,” Hinch said.

A group of reporters cracked up.

Finally, a topic that left Hinch speechless.

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Other injury updates

Alex Cobb (right hip inflammation) completed a bullpen session May 16.

Sawyer Gipson-Long (left hip labral repair, right UCL reconstruction) is next scheduled to pitch on a rehab assignment with West Michigan on May 18.

Casey Mize (left hamstring strain) completed a bullpen session May 16.

And outfielder Wenceel Perez (lumbar spine inflammation) was scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with West Michigan May 16.

Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff.

Order your copy of “Roar of 125: The Epic History of the Detroit Tigers!” by the Free Press at Tigers125.PictorialBook.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers’ Parker Meadows facing ‘last’ and ‘big step’ in recovery