TAMPA -- The Rays are once again without All-Star Brandon Lowe at a critical point of the season, as they placed the slugging second baseman on the 10-day injured list Tuesday afternoon due to left ankle/foot tendinitis.
The Rays filled Lowe’s spot on the active roster by acquiring outfielder Stuart Fairchild from the Braves for cash considerations. To make room for Fairchild on their 40-man roster, the Rays transferred reliever Manuel Rodríguez (right forearm strain) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL.
Lowe hoped to avoid the injured list after feeling what the club believed to be plantar fasciitis in his left foot after Friday night’s game. The injury forced him out of Saturday’s game against the Orioles. Lowe didn’t play Sunday or Monday, and the Rays’ infield depth was further tested when shortstop Ha-Seong Kim exited Monday’s 8-3 loss to the White Sox due to lower back tightness.
But Lowe woke up Tuesday morning and didn’t feel the improvement necessary to get back on the field. Even walking around his house, his foot was sore. Further testing revealed peroneal tendinitis, with fluid built up in his foot, and the best treatment is rest.
“I want to wake up tomorrow and feel 100%, and that way I can go yell at Joe [Benge, the Rays’ head athletic trainer] and everybody else, be like, 'See? I told you I was gonna be ready,’” Lowe said. “But for the long run of the season and the long run of the team, we saw this as the right call, and we'll still plan to get in as many games as possible once we're back.”
Lowe missed the final week of games before the All-Star break due to left oblique tightness. The Rays placed him on the 10-day IL the weekend before the Midsummer Classic, preventing Lowe from playing in the game due to an injury for the second time in his career. Everyone involved in the decision hoped that doing so would be best for Lowe and the Rays in the long term.
Instead, five days into the second half, he is back on the IL, with his placement made retroactive to Sunday. Lowe said Monday he was not sure how the injury came about, only that it was preventing him from running and fielding at full intensity.
Lowe said he could very well wake up on Wednesday and feel back to normal, which will give him plenty of time to work his way back to game-readiness. Manager Kevin Cash also said he was hoping for a minimal stint, which would have Lowe back in the lineup for the final two months of the season.
“He doesn't want to go on the IL. I appreciate that. I understand that, but he also understands that he's just not right,” Cash said. “Missing him against Boston, missing him now for a handful of games here out of the break -- it's a different lineup without Brandon Lowe. He knows that. We know that. So we've got to do right to get him back as soon as possible.”
Fairchild joined the Rays a day after being designated for assignment by the Braves. The 29-year-old outfielder hit .216/.273/.333 in 55 plate appearances over 28 games for Atlanta this season, with most of his work coming as a pinch-runner or defensive replacement.
The right-handed hitter can play all three outfield spots, and he is a career .223/.305/.384 hitter over parts of five Major League seasons with the D-backs, Mariners, Giants, Reds and Braves. He will wear No. 20 for Tampa Bay.
The Rays have been leaning on Jake Mangum in left field, Chandler Simpson in center and Josh Lowe in right, with Christopher Morel getting occasional starts in left and super-utility player José Caballero sometimes bouncing out to right field. Fairchild is likely to serve in a reserve role against left-handed pitchers and come off the bench as a pinch-runner or defensive replacement.
Meanwhile, Cash said the Rays got “decent news” regarding Kim. He was not available Tuesday and may not play Wednesday, but the Rays hope to have him back when they begin a seven-game road trip Friday in Cincinnati.
If Kim only misses a few days, the Rays can use Caballero and Taylor Walls at second base during Lowe’s absence. Walls started at shortstop with Caballero at second on Tuesday, but all three can play shortstop and second base.
The severity of Kim’s injury will likely determine how the Rays account for Brandon Lowe’s absence. Kim, Caballero and Taylor Walls can all play shortstop and second base.
The news regarding Rodríguez only further solidifies what president of baseball operations Erik Neander said coming out of the All-Star break: The high-leverage right-hander won’t be rejoining them “anytime soon.” The Rays are awaiting further opinions on Rodríguez’s forearm and elbow after pulling him off a rehab assignment, but Cash said he will miss “significant time.”