Josh Lowe to open season on IL with oblique injury

Rays outfielder Josh Lowe will open the season on the injured list, reports Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times. He is nursing an oblique injury. The 26-year-old was already in the process of recovering from left hip inflammation which had sidelined him for most of the spring.

After a disappointing rookie season in 2022, Lowe broke out in his sophomore campaign. In 135 games, hit hit .292/.335/.500 with 20 home runs and 32 stolen bases. He finished one plate appearance shy of the threshold for qualification, but had he qualified, he would have ranked fifth in the AL in batting average, eighth in slugging percentage, and seventh with a 131 wRC+. The Rays often shielded him from same-handed pitching, but the lefty-batting Lowe held his own with a .712 OPS and 97 wRC+ against southpaws. On the other side of the ball, he made just two errors all season, racking up 6 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) in right field.

It remains unclear how much time Lowe will spend on the IL. Oblique strains can vary widely in severity. Juan Soto suffered a mild oblique strain around this time last year and ended up playing all 162 games of the season. At the same time, it’s not uncommon for a player to miss a couple of months with such an injury. Presumably, the Rays will offer an update on Lowe’s timeline in the coming days.

Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, the news of Lowe’s injury comes just days after outfielder Jonny DeLuca fractured his right hand. The righty-batting DeLuca seemed like a good candidate to win a bench job and occasionally platoon with Lowe. With those two out of commission, the Rays will likely turn to some combination of Richie Palacios, Amed Rosario, and Harold Ramírez in right field. Neither Palacios nor Ramírez is a strong outfield defender, and Rosario has limited experience outside of the infield. Offensively, however, Rosario and Ramírez give manager Kevin Cash a couple of good options against left-handed pitching. Meanwhile, Palacios is a good bet to get most of the reps against right-handers. The Rays will hope he can improve upon his career .635 OPS (199 PA) against righties in a larger sample size.

Jake Mangum, acquired this winter in the trade that sent Vidal Bruján and Calvin Faucher to the Marlins, is lighting up camp as a non-roster invitee. The switch-hitting outfielder is a dark horse candidate for a spot on Tampa Bay’s bench. This recent spate of injuries could also clear up a path to more playing time for Curtis Mead, albeit indirectly. The young third baseman won’t play the outfield, but he could get more opportunities in the infield with Rosario covering in right. In addition, Mead would give Cash another right-handed bat on the bench for days when Rosario and Ramírez are in the starting lineup.