Report: Bucs' Meadows exits with oblique injury

Injuries already hindered a significant portion of Austin Meadows' first full season with Triple-A Indianapolis, and things may have hit another snag for the Pirates' top prospect on Sunday.
After going hitless in his first two at-bats, Meadows was lifted before the fifth inning of the Indians' 3-2 loss to Columbus on Sunday at Victory Field with tightness in his left oblique -- the same injury that caused him to miss four games last week -- Indians manager Andy Barkett told PiratesProspects.com.

"I wouldn't say serious, but I would say we're going to probably take a little harder look at it than we did last time," Barkett told the website.
MLB.com's No. 20 overall prospect spent nearly two months on the disabled list after suffering a strained right hamstring running out a grounder in a game on June 21. The injury was similar to one that sidelined him for more than a month last season. He also missed three months during the 2014 season after straining his left hamstring.
The 22-year-old returned Aug. 1 for a four-game rehab stint in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, including a four-hit, four-RBI performance in his final contest. He spent five games with Class A Short Season West Virginia before rejoining Indianapolis on Aug. 15.
Upon his return, he played three games before feeling tightness in his left oblique and sat out four contests. The Atlanta native has played 72 games in the International League this season, hitting .250 with four homers, 19 doubles, 48 runs scored, 36 RBIs and 11 stolen bases.

Asked by reporters before Sunday's game against Cincinnati, Pirates general manager Neal Huntington mentioned Meadows and No. 6 prospect Kevin Newman as players who probably won't join the Major League club when rosters expand next week. Huntington said he and Meadows instead discussed the possiblity of the 2013 first-rounder playing Winter Ball in the Dominican Republic.
"We've had conversations internally, is the best thing for him to have a physical-focused off-season or go get at-bats," Huntington told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "We're still working through that. We want to find the right situation for him and that it's the right thing for him and for us to do. He is open to [Winter Ball] and we're in the process of identifying a good spot for him and [whether] it's the right thing to do for his overall development."