Brandon Lowe DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

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.

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.