Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Tampa Bay Rays standout second baseman Brandon Lowe will be sidelined at least one month due to a stress reaction in his lower back, the team said Tuesday.
Lowe was placed on the 10-day injured list on Monday after struggling with back soreness all season. The team will re-evaluate him in three weeks and then hope to establish a timeline for his return.
Lowe, who set career highs of 39 homers and 99 RBIs last season, is batting just .212 with five homers and 12 RBIs this season.
“It’s a hit, there’s no doubt,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said of the loss of Lowe. “He’s a big part of our club — offense, defense. … We’re just going to have to make do without him.”
The 27-year-old Lowe went 3-for-8 with two triples over the last two games but knew after Sunday’s 3-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays that the situation couldn’t continue.
“I didn’t want to take at-bats that weren’t 100 percent,” Lowe said. “I want to be able to give these guys everything I have, and just going up there and not being able to swing and do what I can do — it was frustrating.
“I’m glad to know what it is and to be able to come back and get back to that 100 percent mark. … Pressuring it and pushing it past the mark isn’t a smart thing to do. So hopefully we caught it at the right time, and we’re going to have no more issues with it.”
Vidal Brujan was in the lineup at second base for Tuesday’s home game against the Detroit Tigers. Brujan entered the contest with a .143 average (3-for-21) with one RBI in seven outings.
Taylor Walls also will see time at second during Lowe’s absence. He is batting .174 with one homer and three RBIs in 31 games.
–Field Level Media