According to Andy Martino of SNY, the Tampa Bay Rays are not actively shopping infielder Brandon Lowe. Martino noted that with the Rays needing offensive help, they would instead hold on to Lowe as he carries high power upside. Lowe has hit at least 20 home runs in each of the past two seasons. Last summer, the 30-year-old posted a .244/.311/.473 line with 19 doubles, 21 long balls, and five stolen bases. Under the hood, he posted a strong .346 xwOBA, .485 xSLG, and a 12.4% barrel rate, which were all significantly above the average marks. In addition, playing in a spring training stadium for their home games could increase Lowe's power output. However, if the Rays fall out of playoff contention, he could then be placed on the trade block. For now, fantasy managers should expect Lowe to operate as the clear No.1 second baseman in Tampa Bay.
The Tampa Bay Rays have picked up the 2025 club option on second baseman Brandon Lowe according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Lowe is coming off another solid season where he hit at least 20 home runs for the second-straight campaign. He also held a .244/.311/.473 slash line with 58 RBI and five stolen bases. Under the hood, he held an above-average 44.7% hard-hit rate and a 12.4% barrel rate which suggest his power numbers should continue to remain stable heading into 2025. Fantasy managers should view Lowe as a solid late-round option for power as a middle infielder.
Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe (finger) is serving as the designated hitter and is batting second on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies and right-hander Zack Wheeler at Citizens Bank Park. Lowe has been dealing with inflammation in his ligament on both sides of his middle finger and missed the previous five games as a result. The 30-year-old is feeling better now, though, and will return in a tough matchup on the road. Lowe has came in to pinch hit the last couple of days and even saw some time at second base, so he's clearly improving and shouldn't need a trip to the injured list. In 10 career at-bats against Wheeler, Lowe has taken him deep once and driven in two, but he has only two total hits. The left-handed hitter has gone just 4-for-21 (.191) with a homer, RBI and seven strikeouts in September and isn't a recommended DFS play given the matchup against Wheeler.
Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe (finger) was not in the starting lineup for Friday's contest against the Baltimore Orioles and is dealing with a finger issue. Manager Kevin Cash said Lowe has some ligament inflammation on both sides of his middle finger and had it wrapped before the game. "He's banged up," Cash said. "The finger is bothering him. He's seeing the doctor, but we're going to try to lessen his workload and swings, and see if we can get that thing to calm down. He's available, but for right now, every little swing is aggravating him, so not sure how long it's going to take." Jose Caballero got the start at the keystone on Friday, with Taylor Walls starting at short. It's a day-to-day situation for now, but if Lowe can't return soon, this could quickly turn into an IL situation. The 30-year-old lefty slugger has provided 16 homers, 49 RBI and five steals in 318 at-bats in 2024 while batting .242.
Christopher Morel, Brandon Lowe, Jose Siri Sitting On Friday
Tampa Bay Rays third baseman/outfielder Christopher Morel, second baseman Brandon Lowe and outfielder Jose Siri are all heading to the bench on Friday versus the division-rival Baltimore Orioles and right-hander Dean Kremer at Camden Yards. Dylan Carlson is starting in left field and batting cleanup, Jose Caballero is at second base and batting seventh, and Jonny DeLuca is in center field and is in the six-hole against Kremer, who is making his first start off the injured list. Morel has struggled in his short time with Tampa since being acquired from the Cubs at the trade deadline, hitting .191 (22-for-115) with three homers, five RBI and 42 strikeouts in 31 games. Carlson has hit just .208 (16-for-77) in 25 games since joining the Rays at the trade deadline, but all three of his homers have come in Tampa. He'll be a deep DFS sleeper in the cleanup spot for the Rays on Friday.
Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe will retreat to the bench for Friday's series opener at Tropicana Field against the visiting San Diego Padres with a left-hander starting on the mound. Jose Caballero will start at the keystone and bat fifth against Padres veteran left-hander Martin Perez. Taylor Walls is at shortstop and in the eight-hole. Lowe is actually hitting .315 against left-handed pitchers this year, but in a small sample size of only 54 at-bats. Three of his 16 homers on the year have come against southpaws. He's also gone just 5-for-36 (.139) with three doubles and 15 strikeouts in his last nine games dating back to Aug. 19. Lowe needs to be on fantasy benches right now. Caballero is really only useful to fantasy managers for his speed, as he currently leads the league with 37 stolen bases and has also been caught stealing a league-high 13 times.
Brandon Lowe Homers Saturday In Win Over Diamondbacks
Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe homered on Saturday in a 6-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was Lowe's 15th of the year. The veteran homered off reliever Dylan Floro in the sixth inning. Lowe knocked in two runs, scored two runs, and had two hits on the day. He moves his season totals to a .252 batting average with 15 home runs, 46 RBI, five stolen bases, and 38 runs scored. Perhaps interestingly, Lowe played first base on Saturday while Yandy Diaz served as the designated hitter. He has played four games at first base this season and if he can continue getting at-bats there, he could add value to his fantasy game by adding first base eligibility.
Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe had a huge game Thursday in a 13-0 rout of the Toronto Blue Jays. Lowe hit his 12th homer of the season and had four hits total, knocking in three runs while scoring twice. The veteran is now hitting .251 with 12 home runs, 33 RBI, one stolen base and 29 runs scored on the season. Lowe has four home runs in his last seven games. When healthy, Lowe is one of the better left-handed hitters in the game.
Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in his team's 4-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday. Lowe launched his two-run shot off Toronto starter Jose Berrios in the fifth inning to push Tampa's lead to 3-0. The veteran infielder is now hitting .239 with 11 homers, 27 runs, 30 RBI, and one steal across 176 at-bats. While his batting average isn't great, Lowe continues to provide solid fantasy power numbers from second base, making him a decent reserve option in most leagues.
Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe will get the day off in the Bronx on Saturday versus the division-rival New York Yankees with left-hander Nestor Cortes on the mound. Curtis Mead, who was called up from Triple-A Durham on Saturday, will serve as the designated hitter and bat in the three-hole against Cortes. Even though it's a lefty-on-lefty matchup, Lowe has hit .571 with a 1.714 OPS, a home run and five RBI off Cortes in seven career at-bats, but Tampa obviously thought it was a good day to get Lowe a breather in the second game of the first half. Mead, who hits from the right side, has gone just 19-for-87 (.218) this year with a homer and five RBI in 26 games. Lowe only has 30 at-bats against southpaws in 2024 but has 11 hits (two homers) against them.