TAMPA -- The Rays got a big bat back in their lineup in time for the start of the second half, as they reinstated All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe from the 10-day injured list prior to Friday night’s 11-1 series opener against the Orioles at George M. Steinbrenner Field. He went 1-for-4.
Lowe hadn't played since exiting the Rays’ series finale against the Twins on July 6 due to tightness in his left oblique. He hoped to avoid an IL stint entirely, but rather than risk a more significant injury, Tampa Bay placed him on the 10-day IL on July 11, retroactive to July 8, hoping for a short stay.
After proving his health during a workout at Steinbrenner Field on Thursday, Lowe was activated on Friday afternoon. The Rays optioned infielder Curtis Mead to Triple-A Durham to make room for his return.
"I think when we went to IL, it was very, very conservative to a point of, like, 'Could I have played in that Boston series? Yeah, probably, maybe,'” Lowe said Friday afternoon. “But after what happened last year, the thought [was], 'Hey, it's either miss eight days or risk missing eight weeks again. Let's err on the side of eight days.'”
The limited severity of Lowe’s injury was fortunate for him and the Rays, although the timing was not. Going on the IL last weekend left Lowe unable to play in the All-Star Game, the second time in his career an injury has cost him that opportunity, although he and his family traveled to Atlanta and took part in the festivities alongside fellow Rays All-Stars Junior Caminero, Jonathan Aranda and Drew Rasmussen.
"It was a blast. It was hectic. It was crazy,” Lowe said. “I don't think I went to bed before 2 a.m. any of the nights, but it was a great time getting to connect with guys on other teams. It was a fun time.”
The Rays also limped into the All-Star break without Lowe, going 1-6 in Detroit and Boston while he was sidelined. Their bullpen was responsible for several of those losses, but his absence from the lineup was noticeable, too, as Tampa Bay scored only 18 runs during those seven games.
"I know traditionally the Rays are good when he's good. So [it’s good] having him back, and most importantly, having him back feeling good,” starter Zack Littell said. “I know that he probably could have pushed through it and played, but I think looking at this last half of the season, we'd rather have him back 100 percent and back for the bulk of it than [see] him miss any time here later down the road.”
Lowe earned his second All-Star honor by hitting .272/.324/.487 with 19 homers and 50 RBIs over 84 games in the first half. He ranks second on the team in homers and OPS and third in RBIs.
"It's big to have him back,” manager Kevin Cash said. “His presence in our lineup, we missed it while he was gone. … Really happy and fortunate that he's going to be able to be back and not miss that significant time.”
With Lowe back and shortstop Ha-Seong Kim healthy, the Rays ran out the sort of lineup they envisioned back in Spring Training. Chandler Simpson was hitting leadoff ahead of Lowe and Yandy Díaz, followed by All-Stars Aranda and Caminero, Josh Lowe, Jake Mangum, Kim and Danny Jansen.
It was the same group of hitters the Rays used on July 4, but that lineup didn’t even last the whole game, as Kim went down with a calf injury that kept him out the rest of the series at Target Field. Ideally, they can get into a groove with this lineup during a key stretch leading up to the July 31 Trade Deadline.
"I'd like to see it play out for a little bit more than 30 minutes,” Cash quipped.