Key Player Returns to Rays Lineup as Tampa Bay Looks to Avoid Sweep vs. Yankees
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Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Josh Lowe is expected back Wednesday vs. the New York Yankees after missing three games with right oblique tightness, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Lowe played in Tampa Bay’s 7-6 series opener against the San Francisco Giants on Friday, but felt the tightness before Saturday’s game, leading him to take the precautionary route and miss the remainder of the series.
“I’ve gone on the IL for it three times now,” Lowe said on Saturday. “Honestly, it was one of those things that I felt in the cage that I’m preventing from happening.”
“It’s not like I did anything different in terms of preparation and getting ready for the game; I just felt the tightness in there, and I didn’t want to chance it at this point in the season.”
Lowe landed on the 10-day IL with right oblique discomfort on March 29, one day after Tampa Bay’s season opener against the Colorado Rockies, keeping him off the Rays roster for a month and a half. This time, the 27-year-old wanted to avoid the risk.
“Last time was something that I feel like I pushed through, and this time I’m getting in front of it,” Lowe said.
While not in the lineup in Tampa Bay’s 13-3 loss to New York on Tuesday, Rays manager Kevin Cash said Lowe was available off the bench. Before Tuesday’s game, Lowe offered a positive update.
“I’m good to go.”
The Rays selected Lowe with the 13th overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, and he made his major league debut on Sept. 8, 2021, against the Boston Red Sox. In his fifth season, Lowe has played 76 games while hitting .229 with seven home runs and 29 RBIs.
Don Strouble is a sports journalist who covers Tampa Bay Rays baseball and other sports for the ‘’On SI’’ network. He is a Northeast Ohio native and currently lives in Orlando, Fla.
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