The Rays received their season opener over the Rockies in dramatic vogue, as Kameron Misner slugged a walk-off for his first profession dwelling run. Tampa Bay didn’t come out of the sport utterly unscathed, although. Josh Lowe was lifted for a pinch-runner after hitting a single within the fifth inning. The Rays introduced that he skilled proper indirect discomfort.
It’s probably he’ll wind up on the injured checklist. Supervisor Kevin Money advised Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Instances postgame that he anticipated Lowe “to overlook a while.” The outfielder is headed for an MRI, which can reveal a extra outlined timeline. Even low-grade indirect strains are likely to price hitters a pair weeks. Extra vital strains can sideline gamers for a number of months.
The Rays received’t know till tomorrow how extreme Lowe’s damage is. It’s the second straight yr by which his proper indirect has given him bother. Lowe opened final season with a six-week IL keep after straining the indirect in the midst of March. That return was delayed considerably by an extra bout of hamstring tightness. He was activated within the first week of Could however returned to the IL with one other indirect pressure on Could 23. That was a comparatively minor drawback, as he was in a position to make it again by June 3.
Lowe acquired the Opening Day nod in proper area though he’s coming off a down yr. The lefty-hitting outfielder turned in a mediocre .241/.302/.391 slash with 10 homers throughout 387 plate appearances final season. He was much better in 2023, when he drilled 20 homers with a .292/.335/.500 line by way of 501 journeys to the dish.
The beginning at this time got here towards a left-handed pitcher (Kyle Freeland). The righty-swinging José Caballero got here off the bench to complete the sport in proper area. Misner, a lefty bat, may get the vast majority of the taking part in time if Lowe hits the IL. Caballero and Curtis Mead are right-handed hitters who may consider off the bench. Jake Mangum, who has but to make his MLB debut, is the one different wholesome outfielder on the 40-man roster. Tampa Bay added utilityman Coco Montes to their 40-man yesterday. He performed some outfield in Japan final season however has not executed so in his MLB profession.
