Lowrie faces long odds to make A’s — so don’t bet against him
Second baseman Jed Lowrie is 36. He sat out two seasons. He has a minorleague contract. He’s coming off knee surgery.
In most cases, that describes someone who’s the long shot of long shots.
For Jed Lowrie, that’s right in his wheelhouse.
“Hey, listen, I’ve always been that underdog,” Lowrie said Thursday after the A’s workout at Fitch Park in Mesa, Ariz.
If it’s farfetched to imagine Lowrie on Oakland’s seasonopening roster, consider his entire baseball life. Suddenly, it’s not so farfetched. He was never the biggest or the strongest or the fastest. But maybe the stubbornest.
An infielder who broke into the majors with the 2008 Red Sox, Lowrie is making a comeback bid and in competition for the secondbase job. He signed two weeks ago and received an invite to bigleague camp.
Asked if he had ever felt like an underdog before now, Lowrie said, “For about 36 years.”
Last time A’s fans saw Lowrie wearing green and gold, he
was putting together an AllStar season in 2018 (23 homers, 99 RBIs), his second straight year in which he played 150plus games and posted an OPS higher than .800.
But after signing a twoyear deal with the Mets, Lowrie had just eight plate appearances because of a bum knee. October knee surgery has him in a better place physically, and now he’s back with the A’s for the third time looking to get his baseball groove back.
Call him a long shot, and he won’t dispute it. He’ll embrace it.
“Listen, I was the last guy recruited to my college class. I didn’t get invited to any of the national things,” said Lowrie, who progressed to become the 2004 Pac10 Player of the Year at Stanford.
“I’ve had to work for everything. I’ve been able to achieve a lot. Nobody looked at me physically and said, ‘This guy is gonna be a 14year majorleaguer.’ Right? I’ve had to work my way into where I am my whole life, and I’ve been able to accomplish a lot so far.”
There’s more to accomplish in Lowrie’s mind. Surgery to repair the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee has given him new life, and there’s enough uncertainty for the A’s at second base that the position could be there for the taking.
Tony Kemp got most the starts last year, though Tommy La Stella (now a Giant) got considerable time in the final month. Chad Pinder, who has succeeded in recent years in a super utility role, is an option, and Vimael Machin will get a look.
A switchhitter, Lowrie could possibly platoon at second and get reps as the designated hitter, especially now that Khris Davis is a Ranger.
That’s not the focus now. Lowrie must continue to strengthen the knee so he can escalate his running program. He’s fielding grounders and swinging the bat, and the final step is to get his running closer to full speed — the plan is to be eased into Cactus League exhibitions as a DH.
“To this point, I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen and probably surprised based on him missing two years,” manager Bob Melvin said. “Really, we won’t know until we get into games how much (the knee) affects him.”
Lowrie, whose Mets deal was for $20 million, said his knee issues emerged in spring training 2019 and progressively worsened. Asked if he regrets not having surgery before October, he said, “Sometimes when you’re under contract, your medical decisions are not under your control.”
Either way, he said he’s glad to be back in A’s camp where people know his value when healthy. For now, there’s no other place he’d rather be.
“It’s an opportunity to do something you’re not going to be able to do your whole life,” Lowrie said, “so you might as well ride it until the wheels fall off.”