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Brandon Lowe Diagnosed With Stress Reaction, Shut Down For At Least Three Weeks

By Steve Adams | May 17, 2022 at 1:24pm CDT

The Rays announced Tuesday that second baseman Brandon Lowe, who went on the injured list due to lower back discomfort yesterday, has now been diagnosed with a stress reaction in his back. He’ll be shut down from all baseball activity for the next three weeks before he’s reevaluated. Even in a best-case scenario that sees him cleared at the three-week mark, Lowe would surely require a rehab stint after a shutdown of that length. That means he’s likely to be sidelined a month at the very least, with the obvious possibility of an even lengthier absence than that.

It’s a tough blow for the Rays, given Lowe’s track record as one of their better all-around performers in recent years. He’s gotten out to a slow start in 2022, though he’s still delivered some extra-base pop, evidenced by his five homers, five doubles and two triples. He’d seemingly turned the corner in May, too, slashing a huge .282/.378/.615 with seven extra-base hits over his past 11 games.

If there’s a silver lining for the Rays, it’s that they’re deep in middle-infield options. Top prospect Vidal Brujan could certainly see an uptick in playing time if Lowe is to miss considerable time, and the Rays also have Taylor Walls and spring trade acquisition Isaac Paredes as alternate options on the big league roster. Down in Triple-A, Ford Proctor and Jonathan Aranda both have experience at second base and are on the 40-man roster, although second base is neither player’s primary position.

The most straightforward course of action would be to install Brujan as the primary second baseman in Lowe’s stead. He’s long ranked among the game’s best minor leaguers, ranking among the top 100 prospects at Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, MLB.com, FanGraphs and other outlets dating back to the 2018-19 offseason. He’s had a slow start in the big leagues this year but has received only 21 plate appearances without a regular role in the lineup. The 24-year-old switch-hitter was batting .300./400/.467 in 70 Triple-A plate appearances and is generally lauded for a combination of his plus-plus speed, plus hit tool and above-average defense.

Even if Brujan picks up the pace and produces as the team has long hoped, they’ll still hope for as quick a return as possible for Lowe, who slugged a career-best 39 home runs for Tampa Bay just last season. The second-place Rays are currently five and a half games behind the division-leading Yankees. Lowe is being paid $4MM this year while playing out the fourth season of a six-year, $24MM contract extension that spans the 2019-24 seasons. The Rays also hold a $10.5MM club option for the 2025 season and an $11.5MM option for the 2026 season.

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Newsstand Tampa Bay Rays Brandon Lowe

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View Comments (8)

Comments

  1. Sideline Redwine

    10 months ago

    This stings.
    Walls is a flop at the plate, had some good games earlier this year, but talk about an automatic out; I don’t know if Cash ever sits him, so it’s not like he has not had chances. I love Brujan’s potential, but he too looks overwhelmed. Ugh.
    Xavier Edwards time? Greg Jones? Maybe Proctor? You cannot keep running multiple guys out there w an ops under .500. Well, you can, but don’t expect wins.

    No Lowe, no Margot, gotta do something. (Including playing Ramirez every day, he is our most consistent hitter…no idea what happened to Wander)

    Reply
    • raylando

      10 months ago

      Edwards hasn’t played a game this season as he works through a shoulder issue and has no at-bats above AA.

      Jones is batting .219 and striking out 38% of the time at AA.

      Proctor has a .666 OPS and a 38% strikeout rate at Durham.

      None of these guys will provide any more immediate help than Brujan – who has a better prospect pedigree – theoretically can. But Cash needs to ride or die with Brujan at 2B for the next month and give him a chance to put it together. Walls plays way too much.

      Reply
    • Curly Was The Smart Stooge

      10 months ago

      Poor Brandon, put him up in a local hotel & hope that he can swing lowe, sweet Marriott
      I know, it’s a stretch

      Reply
      • StPeteStingRays

        10 months ago

        Lowe rhymes with Shamwow

        Reply
  2. MT in Baltimore

    10 months ago

    This will force the issue w Neander to to make some difficult roster decisions and put the most competitive team on the field–not some of the underachievers that are burning up daylight.

    Reply
  3. Thesecondjamie

    10 months ago

    I wonder if the rays will buy a rental bat in july with their prospect capital. Similar to the nelson cruz trade last year. It isn’t very rays like but the times might be a slowly changing in tampa.

    Examples: Kulber signing, Cruz trade, Franco extension.

    Reply
  4. stymeedone

    10 months ago

    Oswalt signing, Longoria extension, but yeah, trading for Cruz was a change.

    Reply
  5. Tom the ray fan

    10 months ago

    Bring up Jonathan aranda.

    Reply

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