When rumors started circulating that Lowell was close to becoming a New York Yankee, the dilemma got even dicier.
It would appear that Lowell's hip is finally healthy again. He belted four home runs and hit .500 (11-for-22) in his short rehab stint at Triple-A Pawtucket, a performance that would seem to increase interest in the 36-year-old.
However, the trade deadline came and went, and Lowell remains property of the Red Sox. In fact, reports indicated that teams were backing off of trying to acquire him despite his strong rehab performance.
Lowell remains with the Red Sox — for now. But unfortunately for him, there's nowhere to play him right now. Adrian Beltre is having an incredible year at third base. Lowell could also play first base, but that's where Kevin Youkilis is and he's not going anywhere. There's a school of thought that Lowell could platoon at designated hitter with David Ortiz, but Ortiz is in the midst of a bounce-back year and is on pace to revert to his old ways.
Youkilis left Monday's game with a jammed thumb, but it's likely that he won't miss much time — at least not enough time for Lowell to see much time as a replacement. Besides, the Sox have been fortunate enough to get back a healthy Jed Lowrie, who provides the team with more overall depth and is capable of playing all over the infield.
Simply put, there's not much room for Lowell on this Red Sox team.
There's still a chance that he could be traded, but he would have to clear waivers, something that Lowell himself thinks would happen.
He's said over and over that he'd like to play. And like his entire career, Lowell has handled the situation with nothing but class. You'd have to think that given that fact alone, the Red Sox would accommodate his desire to play at some point. But they'd have to figure out where, and there's a good chance it won't be Boston.
So with all of the factors in this messy situation considered, will Mike Lowell get another opportunity to play for the Red Sox?
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