1 Rays' injury that completely altered the 2024 season

There are a few different angles you could take with this claim. Brandon Lowe could've easily been a candidate as he missed 61 games and was a key offensive contributor this past year. You also could've chosen our star closer, Pete Fairbanks for this discussion as he missed significant time with a nerve issue and right lat strain. However, we have determined that a particular breakout candidate's injury hurt the Rays' campaign the most.

After an explosive 2023 season, Rays' fans were expecting Josh Lowe to be a mainstay in right field for the 2024 year. He was off to a hot start in his first two Spring Training games and we were ready to witness an even better version of the young outfielder. Unfortunately, Lowe suffered an injury to his right oblique in late March. The optimistic Rays' fan foresaw his absence to be only about a few weeks of play.

A month later, Lowe participated in a rehab assignment with the Durham Bulls. We were expecting him to be able to return to the big league club soon and make an immediate impact for a team that was in desperate need of support.

Despite the ample recovery time, Josh Lowe would return to the injured list in late May with the same right oblique strain that he suffered earlier in the season. The Rays aren't uncertain why he underwent a similar impairment, but nevertheless, the Virginia native was still out of the Rays' lineup.

In order to understand the significance of this injury for the Rays as a whole, we need to flashback to the 2023 season. Lowe played his first full season in the league as he appeared in 135 games. The talented athlete finished the campaign with a 20 HR-20 SB season. In fact, Lowe produced the 11th most stolen bases in the majors in 2023 with a total of 32 swiped bags. On top of those remarkable numbers, he completed the season in the top 20 in batting average as well with a .292 clip. We were anticipating a career year from the right-handed left fielder in 2024.

His presence was especially needed this past season as Rays' core outfielders, Randy Arozarena, Jose Siri, and Jonny DeLuca put together a miserable .193 combined batting average. This immense struggle was not expected of the three players mentioned above, but it really highlights the need for offensive output from a consistent outfielder. Across the league, outfielders tend to be the greatest help on the offensive front. This lack of production was extremely distressing to the Rays' 2024 season.

When Josh Lowe finally arrived on the scene in early June, he was able to accumulate 10 HRs and a .241 average over 106 games. His output greatly benefited the Rays, even though it wasn't his greatest potential. He may have lost some of his timing and feel for the game due to the prolonged absence. We're looking forward to a full season of Josh Lowe in 2025 as he attempts to replicate his 2023 performance.