Jed Lowrie Suffers Setback

Mets infielder Jed Lowrie has suffered a setback that will delay his activation, Andy Martino of SNY.tv reports on Twitter. A “slight hamstring strain” will force Lowrie back to extended spring training for several more weeks of rehab work.

Lowrie has already spent the first six weeks of the season on the injured list with a sprained left knee. The 35-year-old played in eight games on a rehab assignment, hitting just .161/.235/.258 with ten strikeouts in 34 plate appearances.

To this point, the Mets have not received any return on their two-year, $20MM investment in Lowrie, who signed on in New York after an impressive pair of seasons with the Athletics. There’s still plenty of time for him to perform as expected, though it’s suboptimal for his tenure to open in this manner.

Furthermore, the new injury to Lowrie will quite likely prolong what has long been viewed as an impending roster crunch of sorts in Queens. A healthy Lowrie could very well have pushed wither Adeiny Hechavarria or Keon Broxton — neither of whom can be optioned to the minors without first hitting waivers — off the active roster. Instead, both players will now likely continue to hold down bench jobs, though between the lack of roster flexibility they offer and the struggles of veteran Todd Frazier, it’s not out of the question that changes are still looming on the horizon.