Brandon Lowe's Back Injury Requires Rest, Will Sideline Him Deep Into June
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Even during spring training, Brandon Lowe knew something wasn't right. His back was bothering him, and even six weeks later, it hasn't gotten any better.
The Tampa Bay second baseman went through a barrage of tests in the past several days, trying to get to the bottom of it. The end result is that there are issues going on in his low back area that are going to require a minimum of three weeks of rest, with no baseball activity.
The official term is being called a stress reaction in his low back. So Lowe was put on the injured list on Monday, and will get rest and rehabilitation for the three weeks before getting re-evaluated. He will be out at least until late June.
“Obviously I’m frustrated and disappointed. I never want to be on the (injured list),'' Lowe said. "But at least there is a little bit of relief to know what’s been bothering me, why it’s been hurting. So I guess you’d say kind of bittersweet-ish.''
Lowe is hitting just .212 so far this season, with five home runs and 12 RBIs, and he's dealt with the back issues the entire time. He kept playing through it, but it wasn't easy. Any ''hyper activity,'' like swinging hard or diving for a ball, was a real problem.
“I've never had a back injury before, and I just figured that it was going to go away and be fine,'' Lowe said. It didn't. Lowe said it got worse on the recent 10-day road trip out west, where every hard swing hurt, as did every dive for a ball in the field. He didn't play on Wednesday, and Thursday was a day off.
He was back in the lineup on Friday when the Rays returned home, and he even had to leg out two triples on Friday night against Toronto at Tropicana Field.
“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. So hopefully we caught it at the right time, and we’re going to have no more issues with it.''
He got a day off on Saturday, and just DH'ed on Sunday, but the pain was getting worse. The MRI revealed some bone issues and stressed areas, which is why he's getting shut down.
"From what I've heard, it's three weeks of rest and rehab. I’m not going to force it to come back before it’s ready,” he said. “Talking with the doctor (back specialist Dr. Tom Tolli and (head athletic trainer) Joe (Benge), they believe the timetable that they’ve set, hopefully, it’s the right timetable and I feel great in three weeks and can get baseball started and hopefully be back soon after that.
"The re-evaluation in three weeks, hopefully I'll feel better then than I've ever felt. (Monday) was the first time I've ever heard about stress reactions. To know what it is, I'll listen to everybody and get back to 100 percent.''
Rays manager Kevin Cash knows the loss is big, but he's also confident the Rays have the pieces to cover his absence.
"It's a hit, there's no doubt. He's a big part of our club, offense and defense,'' Cash said. "Hopefully we're going to re-evaluate in three weeks and see where he's at and get him back as soon as possible.
"We're just going to have to make do without him. But I feel like we have guys who are capable of moving around. It's a good opportunity for (rookie Vidal Brujan). He’s going to get some reps, whether they come at second, at third or in the outfield. He’s a player that we’ve liked for a long time and he’s going to get a pretty good lane here to go play.''
Replacing Lowe's offensive production won't be easy, but the Rays are comfortable in moving pieces around in his absence. Brujan will likely see a lot of action at second base, as will versatile infielder Taylor Walls. Rookie Isaas Paredes is back with the big club now, too. He's more comfortable at third base, but can play second in a pinch.
Walls is excited to see Brujan get an extended run in the majors. The two of them have come up through the Rays organization at the same pace, and have played several hundred games together in the minor leagues. Walls hurts for Lowe, but he knows others are ready to fill his shoes as best they can.
"You never want to see anybody go down, especially somebody that means as much as he does,'' Walls said. "We have the guys to do it, and guys ready to step up. Seeing what these guys have done, and playing with Brujan already for four or five years in pro ball, I know he's ready.
"The first thing with Bru is his speed, in every asset of his game. Everything he does, he does extremely fast. Just seeing him grow into his own shoes, it's been really fun. We cut up all the time, and he's one of my favorite teammates growing up in pro ball, so I'm excited to have him here.''
Lowe hit 39 homers and drove in 99 runs last year, and that production is hard to replace. Walls, Brujan and Parades will get penciled in the lineup often, but it's up to the entire team to make up that offensive production. We saw the first bit of that on Tuesday night, when Kevin Kiermaier, Brett Phillips and Randy Arozarena all homered in the 8-1 win over the Tigers.
"Offensive outburst like tonights were big. Two great players (Lowe and Manny Margot) that won't be with us for a little bit, so we need some guys to step up, veterans and rookies and everyone involved,'' Kiermaier said. "We just need to feed off each other one through nine every day. We've got the guys to do it, and days like (Tuesday) prove that.''
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Brandon Lowe photo gallery
Brandon Lowe
Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe (8) runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Oakland Athletics in the first inning at Tropicana Field. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports)
Brandon Lowe
Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe (8) hits a 2-run home run during the seventh inning against the Oakland Athletics at Tropicana Field. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
Brandon Lowe
Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert (88) steals second base as Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe (8) takes a late throw during the sixth inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. (David Banks-USA TODAY Sports)
Ji-Man Choi, Brandon Lowe
Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe (8) high fives Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Ji-Man Choi (26) after he scores during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. (Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports)
Brandon Lowe
Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe (8) high fives Tampa Bay Rays teammates after he scores during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. (Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports)
Brandon Lowe
Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez (44) steals second base as Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe (8) attempted to tag him out during the ninth inning at Tropicana Field. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
Brandon Lowe slide
Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe (8) is tagged out by Minnesota Twins catcher Gary Sanchez (24) in the seventh inning at Tropicana Field. (Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports)
Brandon Lowe
Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe (8) throws to first for the out as umpire Mark Carlson (6) looks on during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Tropicana Field. (Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports)
Brandon Lowe
Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe (8) fields a ground ball in the sixth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Tropicana Field(Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports)
Taylor Walls
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls (6) scores a run against the Los Angeles Angels during the eighth inning at Angel Stadium. Walls will likely see more playing time with Brandon Lowe out. (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
Vidal Brujan
Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) is out at second as Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Vidal Brujan (7) is late on the throw to first during the tenth inning at Angel Stadium. Brujan will see plenty of action at second base with Brandon Lowe out. (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
Isaac Paredes
Tampa Bay Rays rightfielder Manuel Margot (13) is congratulated by third baseman Isaac Paredes (17) after scoring a run during the fourth inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Paredes was recalled on Monday when Brandon Lowe went on the injured list. (Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports)
Tom Brew is the publisher of Inside The Rays, and has been with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation network for three years. He is an award-winning writer and editor who has spent most of his four-decade career at the Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has written four books.