Rays Place Brandon Lowe on 10-Day IL, Recall Curtis Mead

The Tampa Bay Rays have placed second baseman Brandon Lowe on the 10-Day Injured List and recalled infielder Curtis Mead from Triple-A Durham, the team announced on Friday.

The move comes ahead of Tampa Bay's Game 2 against the Boston Red Sox. Lowe, who is dealing with left oblique tightness, has not played since July 6, his 31st birthday, against the Minnesota Twins.

Before the injury occurred, Lowe was having a birthday to remember, as he received his second All-Star selection and his first since 2019. Additionally, Lowe was on the brink of setting a new franchise record with a 21-game hit streak. When he exited the game, he was 0-1, effectively ending his streak.

Lowe joins teammates Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero as representatives for the Rays on the American League roster.

In 84 games, Lowe is slashing .272/.324/.487 while possessing a league-leading .811 OPS among second basemen. His 19 home runs tie Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte for the most homers among their position. Lowe leads all players at his position with 50 RBIs.

Lowe's defensive prowess has also been on display. The Virginia native is fourth among second basemen in assists (201) and seventh in putouts (117).

Upon the return of shortstop Ha-Seong Kim on July 4, the Rays optioned Mead to Triple-A Durham. In his third season with Tampa Bay, Mead has played in 47 games, the most of his young career. During that span, Mead is batting .225 (25-for-111) with two doubles, a triple and three home runs.

Clinging to a half-game lead over Boston for the second American League wild-card spot, the Rays will look to regain control in Game 2 of the series on Friday at 7:10 p.m. The Rays' Drew Rasmussen (7-5, 2.82 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound against fellow right-hander Hunter Dobbins (4-1, 4.10).