Jed Lowrie Sent to Boston to Have Knee Examined by Specialist

Just five games into his minor-league rehab stint at Triple-A Pawtucket, Jed Lowrie was hit by a pitch in the knee. He hasn't played since June 28 because of that, and his knee is still swollen and bruised. Not only has this setback slowed down his progress toward rejoining the Red Sox, but now the team has sent Lowrie back to Boston to have his knee examined by specialist Scott Waugh.

Lowrie was expected to miss six to eight weeks following wrist surgery in April. Prior to surgery, Lowrie played in five games getting only one hit in 18 at-bats.

The knee injury almost certainly assures that Lowrie will not rejoin the Red Sox, as originally, scheduled before the All-Star break.

"It's slowed his progress down, because he can't play," manager Terry Francona said.

Once Lowrie is cleared to play, the probable course of action would be for him to finish his rehab assignment in Pawtucket. In five rehab starts Lowrie was 2-for-10 with an RBI.

The Red Sox are fortunate in the fact that they do not need to rush Lowrie back from this second injury.

Nick Green has been doing a superb job at filling in at shortstop. He's batting .271 with four home runs, and, more importantly, hasn't committed an error since June 3 after a rocky start in the field.