Rays' Jonathan Aranda, Brandon Lowe Selected to American League All-Star Team

Most nights, Brandon Lowe and Jonathan Aranda are side-by-side on the right side of the the Tampa Bay Rays' infield. Next Tuesday in Atlanta, they'll be side-by-side again, getting introduced as American League All-Stars.

“It was an honor for me to get to tell them. I think both of them are incredibly deserving,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said Sunday. “The guys were pumped for both guys, equally loud, equally pumped up. You wanted to have representation. This team deserves to have representation.”

It was quite the birthday present for the 31-year-old Lowe, who is in his eighth season with the Rays. It was his second All-Star selection, but his first since 2019. He didn't play in the 2019 game because of a shin injury. Lowe is hitting .272 this season, with 19 home runs — which leads all second basemen — and 50 RBIs.

Aranda, 27, has played parts of three seasons with the Rays before this year, but this the first time he's had a chance to play every day. He's making the most of it, hitting .320 with 10 home runs and 47 RBIs.

They were the only two Rays selected for the showcase event at Truist Park on July 15, though others had legitimate cases. Designated hitter Yandy Diaz, pitcher Drew Rasmussen and third baseman Junior Caminero are all have big seasons. It's possible one or more of them may be added as injured players get dropped from the game.

“A lot can happen in the next week,” Cash said. “Major League Baseball has got a tough job to do, because there’s a lot of guys that could be rewarded to be on the All-Star team. I feel like we’ve got a handful of guys that hope to get further consideration.”

Even though he wasn't chosen as the starter by the fans, Aranda had the numbers to be an All-Star, so his selection wasn't a huge surprise. Lowe's was a bit of a shocker — even to him.

“I think everyone knew and expected Jonny. So hearing Jonny’s name, we were ecstatic and happy for him, and everybody was cheering,” Lowe told reporters after the game in Minneapolis, a 7-5 Rays victory. “But I was a little surprised (being the second choice). I don't know, I wasn't really expecting anything, and I was extremely happy to be told that.”

Lowe has played like an All-Star for much of his career, but injuries have always derailed his big seasons. He played 149 games in 2021, but that's the only season of his career where he's played more than 109 games.

And in something of an irony, Lowe had to leave Sunday's game with a left-side injury. He felt a twinge in his first at-bat and came out of the game as a precautionary measure.

“It feels very precautionary,'' Lowe said. "It's a little sore, so let's just get off of it for a little bit and let it rest up. Let’s not make anything worse.”

The Rays start a three-game series in Detroit on Monday night, and then play four games in Boston before the All-Star break. Lowe's availability will be monitored daily.

Aranda and Lowe were voted in by the players, a sure sign of respect from their peers. Aranda even got more votes than Toronto's Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who won the fan vote to start at first base.

“This guy deserves to be in Atlanta,'' Brandon Lowe said of Aranda. “When you watch him at the plate and you watch what he does, and then you see the work that he's put in defensively to become a very good first baseman, it’s just all those things put together,” Lowe said.