Rays' Josh Lowe gets hurt on opening day, injures oblique for third time in 13 months

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Josh Lowe hurt his right oblique in the Tampa Bay Rays opener Friday, one year after the injury caused him to miss 46 games.

Lowe grounded out in his first at-bat and felt discomfort when he fouled off a sweeper on the sixth pitch of his fifth-inning plate appearance against Colorado's Kyle Freeland. Lowe singled to center on the next pitch, winced as he left the batter's box and ran gingerly to first.

Head athletic trainer Joe Benge met Lowe at the base and walked back to the dugout with him as José Caballero pinch-ran.

“It’s super frustrating,” Lowe said after the Rays' 3-2 win, still wearing eye black and looking dismayed. “I've done that so many times this spring where I've swung at that pitch and felt fine, and then for some reason for it to happen today, I don’t have words for it.”

Tampa Bay said Lowe had right oblique discomfort and will have an MRI on Saturday. Last year's injury felt lower, in the ribcage area.

Lowe, 27, hit .241 with 10 homers, 34 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in 106 games last season. The left fielder was slowed by left hip inflammation during spring training in 2024, then strained his right oblique and didn’t make his season debut until May 6. He was sidelined by the oblique again between May 22 and June 5.

“I’m confident he’s going to miss some time here,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “Josh battled injuries for the better part of six months last year and then to have a healthy spring, a dominant spring, and then (second) at-bat in he’s out of the game. I can’t imagine what’s going through his head.”

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