NEW YORK -- Rays outfielder Josh Lowe will not begin a Minor League rehab assignment on Saturday after all.
After a few successful rounds of batting practice earlier this week, Lowe had been slated to face pitchers in live batting practice on Friday and potentially begin a rehab assignment in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League on Saturday. But he reported back spasms on Thursday, when manager Kevin Cash said his back “locked up,” and received a trigger point injection on Friday.
Lowe will be shut down for a few days, Cash said. He had been on track to join the Rays in mid-May, but the back issue will at least slightly push back his timeline.
“We’ll see how he responds," said Cash before Friday's series opener at Yankee Stadium. "We were hoping he was going to wake up feeling better this morning. He did not. So we went ahead and said, ‘Let's get the injection,’ and then it should resolve pretty quick. That’s our hope.”
Coming off a 2024 season that was delayed and ultimately derailed by injuries, Lowe had a healthy and encouraging Spring Training before suffering a Grade 2 right oblique strain on Opening Day.
That proved to be the first of many injuries for Rays outfielders. Lowe was soon joined on the injured list by center fielder Jonny DeLuca (whose rehab from a right shoulder strain was slightly set back earlier this week), rookie Jake Mangum (recovering well from a left groin strain) and outfielder/infielder Richie Palacios (who sustained a right knee sprain after returning from a fractured right ring finger).