MIAMI -- The Rays are ecstatic to have Josh Lowe back from the injured list.
And though he’s only appeared in five games since returning from a right oblique strain he suffered in the team’s season opener, his impact in Tampa Bay’s lineup, and clubhouse has been invaluable. Lowe went hitless in Sunday afternoon’s 5-1 loss to Miami at loanDepot park.
Still, Lowe was effective in other ways, notably logging the Rays’ fifth outfield assist of the season on a 92.5 mph rocket from right field in the second inning. The slingshot was the club’s fastest recorded velocity on an outfield assist this season, according to Statcast, and the first time Lowe topped 90 mph on a throw.
“It was a pretty well-hit ball, so I knew I had a good chance of throwing them out there,” Lowe said on the play. “With two outs, I had to make a good throw with the guy running like that. The turf here plays quick, so I knew when I got the ball as quick as I did, if I made a good throw I had a chance, and I did.”
Lowe’s 0-for-3 outing at the plate is not indicative of his offensive production to begin the season. He entered Saturday batting .455 through three games, following a 3-for-5 showcase he put on against Toronto on Thursday in his first game back from injury. Lowe clubbed a homer in the fifth inning against the Blue Jays, complementing the blast with singles in the first and ninth innings.
On Friday, Lowe collected an RBI single, and on Saturday, he smacked a double to left-center on the game’s first pitch from Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara.
“I feel great,” he said regarding his health. “I think my goal is just go and put together good at-bats. ... Going to get back on the horse and get back.”
Lowe, who’s been with the Rays since he was selected No. 13 overall in the 2016 MLB Draft, has been hampered by injuries of late, having dealt with separate knee, side and hamstring issues in 2024. Nonetheless, he appeared in 106 games last season, tallying 85 hits with a .241 average and 10 home runs.
When Lowe is healthy, he’s one of the most talented players in baseball. He was just one of six American League hitters with 50 or more doubles and stolen bases from 2023-24, while his stolen base success rate (93.8 percent; 61-for-65) leads active players.
Lowe’s return to the Rays’ lineup coincided with a three-game streak in which the team scored four or more runs for the first time since mid-April. His teammates know just what his return means to their daily success.
“It’s a huge shot in the arm,” Brandon Lowe said postgame, “to get those at-bats back, and not just the presence at the plate, but when he gets on base, he’s always a threat to steal. If you put a ball in the gap, he’s probably going to score from first base.
“And you see what he can do on the defensive side of the ball today. Getting a guy like that back in the lineup is a huge jolt, and we’ve seen it very well over the short term, and we’ll start seeing it over the long term.”
“He’s making it look pretty easy, right?” Ryan Pepiot said with a smile before Sunday’s finale.
“I mean, he takes a couple of weeks off, and comes right back, and what -- second pitch of the game [Saturday] he smokes a double. ... Like all right, dude. You take a week off, then come back and do it all over again.
“Not necessarily everything that Josh does on the field, but just having a guy in the clubhouse back. ... The veteran presence who’s been around, knows how to do everything, and goes about his business the right way. ... He understands the routines and the grind of things ... just keeping guys positive.”
Positivity is something that Lowe is intentional about creating for himself, and the environment around him.
“I'd say for me, I feel like I do a good job of kind of keeping the clubhouse light,” Lowe said. “I feel like I try and always -- no matter what's going on -- have a smile on my face. Just be a positive person for people to talk to, just an outlet, be here for everybody. Be a good teammate and just keep it as loose as I can.”
With a trip to Houston next on the docket for Tampa Bay, having Lowe as a mainstay in its lineup certainly brings about positive feelings for its immediate future.