NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 14: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Jed Lowrie #4 of the New York Mets in action during an intra squad game at Citi Field on July 14, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Jed Lowrie’s latest injury is a new one for baseball fans.
Jed Lowrie made his first career All-Star Game in 2018 with the Oakland A’s and appeared to be a solid offseason addition for the New York Mets in 2019. He proceeded to play in a total of nine games and log seven at-bats.
A knee sprain was the culprit and Lowrie was looking to bounce back in 2020. But a knee injury once again has forced him out. Only this time, the official injury designation required some medical research.
Jed Lowrie’s mysterious ailment
A what now? The basic description is that he has some looseness in his PCL. His knee is loose, to be more plain.
This is not what the Mets had in mind when signing Lowrie to a two-year, $20 million deal. It is possible he finishes the deal with zero hits in only seven at-bats.
The 36-year-old has been rocking a knee brace and it is hard to imagine him being an effective hitter or defender with a knee he isn’t confident to stand on. Requiring a tight brace just to avoid being in constant pain usually means sitting out is the better option. He is a veteran and pushing himself too hard in a shortened season could lead to his career ending in 2020.
Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen is going to take plenty of heat from fans over Lowrie’s situation. It appears he showed up with the knee injury. So how was that missed? That may be on the team doctors, or some false optimism could be to blame.
Regardless of blame, Lowrie is set to go down as a huge bust in recent Mets history. Accepting it was a bad move can save the Mets plenty of frustration and get players on the roster who are healthy and ready to contribute right now.