Pirates' Brandon Lowe Makes Quick Comeback After Injury Scare
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates thought they may not have a key member of their lineup for some time, but he showed that he's ready to go.
Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe left the 6-3 loss vs. the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on June 6 after fouling a ball off of his right knee in the top of the ninth inning, but returned the following game off the bench.
Lowe leadoff the top of the ninth inning with a double off of the first pitch, with Oneil Cruz coming in as a pinch-runner in his place, before the Pirates failed to score and lost 3-2 on June 7.
It was a quick comeback for Lowe, but one that the Pirates will surely he happy with after a potential serious injury.
Lowe Speaks on His Fast Return
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on The Pirates Insider Show on 93.7 The Fan pregame that Lowe tested negative for a fracture and that the had him day-to-day.
Lowe warmed up before the game and eventually felt good enough during it to tell Pirates manager Don Kelly he could bring him in if needed.
“Yesterday, I think I used these TheraBody compression boots," Lowe said to SportsNet Pittsburgh postgame. "I was in there for an hour after the game before I went to bed. Used ‘em probably three times before the game today, working with [Pirates Senior Rehab] Joel [Harris] in the training room just to stay on top of the swelling and then Wwith the imaging that we got yesterday, it was kind of one of those things where if I felt like I could manage the pain and do things, it’d be fine.
“Before ground balls, went out and did some running drills and some dynamic movements. All that kind of stuff felt great, so around the fourth or fifth inning, I told DK, 'Hey, if you need me, I feel good. Hitting feels good. I’m good to go whenever.'”
Lowe said that it's likely he wouldn't have played had he not told Kelly that he could do so, which made the return even more surprising.
The Pirates now return home and take on the World Series Champions in the Los Angeles Dodgers for a three-game series, June 9-11.
Lowe, who has hit a team-high 15 home runs this season, is a crucial part of the Pirates lineup and is looking forward to getting back out there fully healthy for that series.
“Yeah I think this off day lining up with it is the best timing that I could’ve ever hoped for following something like this," Lowe said. "Hopefully my kids take it easy on me tomorrow and we show up on Tuesday ready to rock."
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.