Rays Brandon Lowe hopes run of bad luck is over

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Happy to be healthy, Brandon Lowe is back from a rash of injuries that limited his play over the last two seasons. He's fully recovered from back problems and a patella fracture that ended his season last September.

"A little freak injury," Lowe told FOX 13 Sports. "Hopefully, I don't rip any more balls off my kneecap. At the moment, everything feels great."

At 29, Lowe is now the second oldest on the team among the position players. He is a seasoned veteran that they need and are counting on.

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"When you look in the clubhouse I'm like, 'man, I'm one of the old guys now,'" Lowe said. "It's something that comes with the territory. It's always a positive to be in that position. You'd much rather be in the spot where young guys look up to you verses not being the one they want to talk to."

"I think Brandon is pretty motivated to come out and have a big season," Kevin Cash said. "The health is the health. He couldn't control come of those injuries, but you keep your fingers crossed that he's doing everything in front of some of those injuries to keep him on the field."

Brandon Lowe #8 of the Tampa Bay Rays rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 17, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Lowe hasn't made it through a full season injury free since 2021 when he lead the team in homers with 39 and drove in 99 runs. His main goal this season is to stay off the injury list and be a regular that Cash can count on in the starting lineup.

"Make Cash's job as hard as possible," Lowe said. "Make myself available and be healthy enough, so he can run me out there as much as possible."

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Lowe is heading into the final guaranteed year of his contract, so staying healthy and producing at the level he did before his bad luck streak of injuries will require managing his playing time.

"Hopefully I have a nice long career," Lowe said. "These are the last injuries I have to deal with."

Lowe is hoping his bad luck is over.

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