Rays Notebook: Brandon Lowe (Back) Shut Down for Rest of Season
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Brandon Lowe's frustrating 2022 season is over. Out for several weeks and not getting better from a back injury, Tampa Bay has decided to shut him down for the rest of the year.
''Brandon is done for the season. His back, it just wasn't responding,'' Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "Give him credit, he got more injections than anyone would want in his back, but he did that. It's generally through the doctors that it's a 24-48 hour turnaround, you know right away if you're god or not and he didn't respond. Hopefully we can get him right going into the offseason, but at this point, rest is key.''
Lowe just hasn't been himself this season. He got off to a slow start, hitting just .212 with five home runs and 12 RBIs through May 15. That's when the Rays shut him down the first time with a back injury, and he missed two months. He came back on July 16, but was shut down again on Sept. 11.
In total, he's played in 65 games, hitting .221 with eight home runs and 25 RBIs. He's been with the Rays since 2018 and had his best year in 2021, when he hit 39 home runs and had 99 RBIs.
Lowe just finished the fourth year of a six-year, $24 million deal he signed as a rookie. In 2023, he is scheduled to make $5.25 million, and in 2024 he gets $8.75 million. The Rays have team options in 2025 and 2026.
McClanahan named MVP by local baseball writers
Tampa Bay pitcher Shane McClanahan was voted the winner of the Don Zimmer Most Valuable Player award on Saturday in voting by members of the Tampa Bay chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
McClanahan, who is 12-6 this season with a 2.36 earned run average, got 23 points in the voting. Third baseman Yandi Diaz was second with 14 points. Also receiving votes were Jason Adam (3), Randy Arozarena (3), Francisco Mejia (1) and Drew Rasmussen.
Jose Siri was voted the Rays' Outstanding Rookie, getting all five first-place votes. Jonathan Aranda, Josh Lowe, Vidal Brujan, Rene Pinto and Phoenix Sanders also received votes.
Diaz won the Paul C. Smith Champion Award, which is give to the player who best exemplifies the spirit of true professionalism on and off the field. He received all five first-place votes. Also receiving votes for that award were Kevin Kiermaier, Manuel Margot, Drew Rasmussen, Pete Fairbanks, Brandon Lowe, Brett Phillips and Colin Poche.
Tyler Glasnow set to join Rays
Tyler Glasnow dominated his final rehab start in Durham on Friday night and was on his way back to Tampa Bay on Saturday. It's highly likely that he will join the Rays on their season-ending road trip, and if all goes well on his off days, it's very possible that he'll pitch for the Rays in Cleveland on Wednesday or Thursday.
Glasnow, who has a 16-4 record for the Rays in the past three years, underwent Tommy John surgery in the summer of 2021 and he has been ramping up for several months now with the hope of pitching this season.
Oh, there's some lovely filth down here
— Durham Bulls (@DurhamBulls) September 23, 2022
All 6 of Tyler Glasnow's strikeouts from his 2.2 hitless innings tonight for your viewing pleasure#BULLieve pic.twitter.com/fnlusfGtEf
It was never a guarantee, because he wasn't going to push a comeback if he didn't feel well. But he has, which means he might be able to make two appearances in the regular season, and then help in the postseason as well.
"I will imagine he'll be-bop through here (during the game on Saturday),'' Cash said. "He'll throw his bullpen and I feel confident with where he's at and we're confident in his build-up. I'm looking forward to seeing him in our jersey.
"I saw two batters (in Friday's start) and he looked the part.''
Related stories on Rays baseball
- SHANE BAZ NEEDS TOMMY JOHN: The Tampa Bay Rays announced that promising young pitcher Shane Baz is going to need Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and is going to miss all of the 2023 season. The 23-year-old appeared in six games this year before being shut down in July with elbow discomfort. CLICK HERE
- RAYS CLINCH SEASON SERIES (Friday): Randy Arozarena hit a three-run homer, his 20th of the season, and drove in six runs as Tampa Bay beat Toronto 10-6 and won the season series. The all-important tie-breaker is already having an effect, as the Rays are now at the top of the wild-card race and would host a playoff series. CLICK HERE
- RAYS TAKE OPENER OVER JAYS (Thursday): The top five hitters in the Tampa Bay order all had two hits or more and all drove in at least one run in a 10-5 rout of the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday night. The Rays are now just one game behind the Blue Jays in the AL wild-card race and are also just a game away from clinching the season series. CLICK HERE
- MINOR LEAGUE AWARDS: The Tampa Bay Rays announced all of their minor-league award winners on Thursday, with first baseman Kyle Manzardo being named the organization's player of the year. Mason Montgomery was named minor-league pitcher of the year. Here's the full list of award winners. CLICK HERE
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.