Josh Lowe DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Tampa Bay Rays sent outfielder Josh Lowe (back, oblique) out on a minor-league rehab assignment to the rookie-level Florida Complex League on Tuesday. Lowe strained his right oblique on Opening Day in late March and had his rehab stalled a bit recently due to a bout with back spasms. The 27-year-old left-handed hitter is feeling better now, though, and will begin playing in minor-league games as he looks to make his way back to the major-league roster. It's unclear how many games he'll need down on the farm before being activated from the injured list, but barring any further setbacks, he should be back with the Rays by the middle of May. The former 13th overall pick in 2016 has had trouble staying on the field but has a useful power/speed profile for fantasy managers when he's healthy, and he's an everyday player. Lowe had 20 homers, 83 RBI and 32 steals for Tampa in 2023.

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Josh Lowe (back, oblique) has yet to start a minor-league rehab assignment, according to manager Kevin Cash. In addition to the strained right oblique that he suffered on Opening Day that sent him to the injured list, Lowe is nursing some back spasms that are unrelated to his oblique injury. The 27-year-old had a trigger-point injection and will be shut down for a couple of days. "We'll see how he responds," Cash said. "We were hoping he was gonna wake up feeling better this morning, but he did not...it should resolve pretty quick. That's our hope." It's more bad news for Lowe, who probably won't be able to come off the IL for another couple weeks at the earliest. With rookie Jake Mangum (groin) and Richie Palacios (knee) also sidelined, Kameron Misner has been seeing regular playing time for the Rays and is taking advantage, going 25-for-79 (.316) with three homers, 11 RBI and 14 runs scored.

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Josh Lowe (oblique) has been progressing well and could be cleared to participate in rehab games on Saturday. According to Ryan Bass of the FanDuel Sports Network, Lowe participated in batting practice on Tuesday and is expected to take another session on Friday before officially being cleared for a rehab assignment. This is an excellent sign for the 27-year-old as he has only appeared in one game this season before suffering this injury. If Lowe progresses well this week and is able to carry this success into his rehab assignment, he could be cleared to return to the starting nine sometime next week. In 2023, Lowe held a .241/.302/.391 slash line with 10 home runs and 25 stolen bases. Given his five-category potential, he is a solid depth outfielder in standard formats when he returns to action.