Tampa Bay Rays Get Key Piece of the Lineup Back from 10-Day Injured List

Despite a 5-4 extra-inning loss to the New York Yankees, the Tampa Bay Rays received a big boost on Wednesday.

The Rays reinstated All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe (left ankle/foot tendinitis) from the 10-day injured list before the third game of a four-game series. In a corresponding move, they optioned infielder Tristan Gray to Triple-A Durham. 

Lowe missed seven games due to oblique tightness in the first part of July and retuned July 18. He played just two games before and then was back on the injured list with what he thought was plantar fasciitis. 

In his first game back Wednesday, the 31-year-old quickly made his presence known when he hit an RBI double in his second at-bat to right field to give the Rays a 1-0 advantage in the top of the third inning. He followed it up with a single in the top of the fifth to go 2-for-4 on the night. 

Lowe’s absence in the lineup has adversely affected the Rays. In the 18 games he’s missed, Tampa Bay is 3-15. In 86 games, Lowe has a slash line of .272/.324/.483 with an .807 OPS. 

His 19 home runs are second among all second basemen, trailing only Arizona’s Ketel Marte. It’s also the second-most home runs on the Rays roster, trailing All-Star third baseman Junior Caminero (27).

In the weeks leading up to the trade deadline on Thursday, speculation has been swirling about Lowe’s future with the Rays, as the front office may view him as a tradeable piece. Lowe has spent all of his eight-year career with Tampa Bay after the organization selected him out of Maryland with the 87th pick in the third round of the 2015 MLB Draft.