Brandon Lowe, Pete Fairbanks rejoin Rays, could be activated this weekend

ST. PETERSBURG — After Brandon Lowe swung and missed at a changeup during Thursday’s rehab appearance, he grimaced and waited to see if back pain followed. That’s been a thought with every swing taken since his injury in May, so a whiff at peak bat speed created the perfect gauge for his recovery progress.

When there wasn’t any discomfort, that put his mind at ease.

“I was like, ‘Oh, god, I didn’t feel anything. This is fantastic,’” Lowe said.

Lowe and reliever Pete Fairbanks (right lat strain) — both on rehab assignments with Triple-A Durham — rejoined the Rays on Friday and could be activated this weekend. Manager Kevin Cash said he is encouraged that both played multiple rehab games and “came out feeling really good.” If activated, the Rays will have to create room on both the 26- and 40-man rosters.

Lowe didn’t know what to expect after his injury because he’d never had a back issue before, he said. The recovery involved soft tissue and core exercises to build strength, and his daily warmup now includes 45 minutes of core work to make sure all of his muscles are loose and stretched. Lowe will keep using that extended warmup going forward, he said, while adding that “45 minutes of a warmup is a lot better than eight weeks on an IL.”

“Anytime that I just get to sit back and watch baseball, I’m not gonna really enjoy it,” Lowe said.

Lowe went 3-for-12 in three games with Durham this week, while Fairbanks allowed two runs across his six July appearances and 4 2/3 innings pitched. “I feel good, to put it very simply,” Fairbanks said.

When activated, they’ll become the latest two Rays to return off an injured list that sits at 16 — the second-highest total in the majors behind the Reds (17).

“Hopefully me and Pete can kinda come in, breathe a little breath of relief for our guys out there,” Lowe said.

Roster shuffle continues

The Rays reinstated Luis Patino (left oblique strain) from the 60-day injured list for his first start since April 11, and to make room on the 26-man roster, they optioned Tommy Romero to Durham. Romero picked up his first career win by throwing an inning of relief against the Red Sox on Thursday.

To make room for Patino on the 40-man roster, catcher Mike Zunino (left shoulder inflammation) was transferred from the 10- to the 60-day injured list, delaying a potential return until at least Aug. 9.

He received neck treatment Monday to try and alleviate tingling between his shoulder and fingers, and Cash said Friday there’s “nothing that has really, totally improved.” But after the All-Star break, Zunino will resume some baseball activities and “try to ramp up and see how he feels.”

Want more than just the box score?

Subscribe to our free Rays Report newsletter

Columnist John Romano will send the latest Rays insights and analysis to keep you updated weekly during the season.

Loading...

You’re all signed up!

Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.

Explore all your options

The Rays also added left-hander Ryan Yarbrough to the taxi squad, and he will start Saturday. The Rays will need to make a corresponding move on the 26-man roster.

Miscellany

Right-hander Taj Bradley and infielder Curtis Mead — the team’s top prospects — will play in Saturday’s All-Star Futures Game at Dodger Stadium (7 p.m. streaming on Peacock). ... Yonny Chirinos (Tommy John recovery) will make a Florida Complex League appearance Saturday, while Brendan McKay (thoracic outlet syndrome surgery) will throw live batting practice in Port Charlotte … After Cash gave Taylor Walls a day off from starting Friday (he appeared briefly in the ninth) and the shortstop looked at him funny, he joked that Walls “got some hits a couple days in a row so now he’s Cal Ripken.”

• • •

Sign up for the Rays Report weekly newsletter to get fresh perspectives on the Tampa Bay Rays and the rest of the majors from sports columnist John Romano.

Never miss out on the latest with the Bucs, Rays, Lightning, Florida college sports and more. Follow our Tampa Bay Times sports team on Twitter and Facebook.