Tampa Bay Rays' Brandon Lowe Out of Lineup For 4th Straight Game With Fractured Toe

Brandon Lowe suffered a fractured right pinky toe against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, and now the second baseman will miss the Tampa Bay Rays' entire series against the Seattle Mariners.

Jun 11, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Brandon Lowe (8) hits a three run game winning home run in the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Tropicana Field. / Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

Second baseman Brandon Lowe is not in the Tampa Bay Rays' lineup against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.

Lowe suffered a fractured right pinky toe against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, and he has now missed the last four games as a result. His next chance to return to action will be against the Washington Nationals on Friday, following the Rays' off day on Thursday.

The Rays have returned to .500 in Lowe's absence, however, having now won six of their last seven.

In 35 appearances this season, Lowe is batting .217 with five home runs, 22 RBI, a .733 OPS and a 0.7 WAR. He missed six full weeks earlier in the year with an oblique strain.

Lowe had a laundry list of injuries in 2023 as well, missing time with a toe bruise, neck stiffness, leg discomfort, lower back inflammation, a herniated disc and a fractured right patella. Elbow, back and shoulder injuries hindered him in 2022.

After missing just 17 games between 2020 and 2021, Lowe has missed 196 games since.

Lowe was named an All-Star at the age of 24 in 2019, finishing third in AL Rookie of the Year voting, although even that season was cut short by a right shin contusion and a strained left quad. He placed top 10 in AL MVP voting in 2020 and 2021, establishing himself as key part of the Rays' young core.

Across his first three full seasons, Lowe averaged 39 home runs, 105 RBI and a 5.5 WAR per 162 games while batting .258 with an .870 OPS. In the three seasons since, Lowe is averaging 26 home runs, 89 RBI and a 2.9 WAR per 162 games, hitting .226 with a .739 OPS.

Still, manager Kevin Cash would surely appreciate getting Lowe back into the fold on a more consistent basis, and perhaps he'll be able to do so starting this weekend. In the meantime, here it the lineup Cash went with for Wednesday's showdown with the Mariners:

1. Yandy Díaz, 1B
2. Josh Lowe, RF
3. Randy Arozarena, LF
4. Isaac Paredes, 3B
5. Richie Palacios, DH
6. Amed Rosario, 2B
7. Jose Siri, CF
8. José Caballero, SS
9. Jackson, C
SP: Ryan Pepiot, RHP

First pitch from Tropicana Field is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. ET.

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