Nate Lowe was getting ready to head back to his apartment in North Carolina when Triple-A Durham manager Brady Williams delivered the news that Lowe was going to make his Major League debut in Kansas City on Monday.
“Sitting on the plane was kind of surreal,” Lowe said. “Then being in this clubhouse with the guys that I feel I’m supposed to be around and playing in a Major League stadium, well first real time, is something that hasn’t totally set in yet. But I feel pretty good about the opportunity here and being able to contribute to a winning club.”
Lowe, who at this time last year was enjoying a breakout first month of the season with Class A Advanced Charlotte, has been one of the most impressive prospects in a deep Tampa Bay farm system, which ranks No. 2 among Major League organizations, according to MLB Pipeline.
The 23-year old Lowe was named the Rays’ Minor League Player of the Year after finishing 2018 with 27 home runs, 102 RBIs and a .985 OPS across three Minor League levels. Through 21 games in Triple-A Durham this season, Lowe has shown no signs of slowing down, posting three home runs, 14 RBIs and a .987 OPS. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the Rays' No. 8 prospect.
“A lot to like,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “What he did last year was really, really impressive. He showed enough in Spring Training that he’s a confident player, he’s a confident hitter and he can hit the ball a really long way.”
We have a feeling this @nathaniel_lowe guy will be easy to root for. #RaysUp
When the Rays traded Jake Bauers to Cleveland in December, it cleared a path for Lowe to join the big league club at some point in 2019. The decision to call up Lowe before May was a bit surprising, but Austin Meadows and Joey Wendle are out of the lineup with injuries and adding another impact left-handed bat to the lineup was a priority for the Rays.
Lowe, who hit a 448-foot home run that landed on the roof of the office building in right-center field at Charlotte Sports Park during Spring Training, certainly fits the description.
“We rely so much on matchups and being able to have some of those in-game advantages,” Cash said. “When you lose Austin, when you lose Joey, those are two big left-handed bats in our lineup. Whether they’re hitting first, fourth or seventh, it doesn’t really matter. They’re left-handed, and they played huge roles. It made the most sense for Nate to get the opportunity now to come up here and try to fill that void a little bit.”
Lowe, who was the designated hitter and batted fifth Monday in the Rays' 8-5 victory over the Royals, will get plenty of opportunities to show what he’s capable of at the big league level. Kansas City is scheduled to have three right-handed pitchers over the four-game set. On Monday, Lowe went 1-for-4 with a walk, his first big league hit coming ona eighth-inning double off Royals reliever Scott Barlow that registered with an exit velocity of 113.3 mph.
“It was an impacting double, where he gets on base and then he scores to separate it from one to two runs, so that was huge,” Cash said. “Overall, just the confidence that he showed, and it certainly didn’t appear like it was his first Major League game.”
For Lowe, playing in a big league game was a dream come true.
“It’s awesome,” Lowe said. “It’s something you definitely dream of for so long. And being able to finally go out there and do it and get a win today and get a hit today and contribute a little bit is pretty awesome.”
The Rays know they’ll have some decisions to make regarding Lowe and other players once the roster begins to get healthy, but, for now, Lowe will split time with Ji-Man Choi between DH and first base.
“We know we’ll have some decisions whenever those guys get healthy, and we’ll go from there,” Cash said. “In the meantime, we want to see Nate do kind of what he does and what he’s done in Triple-A. That would really help us.”
Lowe said it will take him some time to fully reflect on what a hectic year this has been in his professional career, but he has no doubt that he belongs at the big league level.
“For sure,” Lowe said, when asked if he’s ready for the big leagues. “I’m not here on accident and I’m not here not to contribute, so here we are.”
Infielder Christian Arroyo was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move, and right-hander Andrew Moore was designated for assignment to make room for Lowe on the 40-man roster.
When a player's contract is designated for assignment -- often abbreviated "DFA" -- that player is immediately removed from his club's 40-man roster. Within seven days of the transaction (had been 10 days under the 2012-16 Collective Bargaining Agreement), the player can either be traded or placed on irrevocable outright waivers.
