Almost 18 months, nine games, and zero hits since signing Jed Lowrie to a $20 million deal, the New York Mets still don’t know what’s wrong.
There’s more bad news for the New York Mets regarding infielder Jed Lowrie. On Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reported that Lowrie would receive a second opinion on his left knee discomfort that landed him on the IL.
Jed Lowrie will receive a second opinion on his left knee discomfort following a check-up with team physician Dr. David Altchek this week. Luis Rojas did not expand upon Lowrie's current diagnosis.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 22, 2020
On Thursday, DiComo added that Lowrie didn’t receive a conclusive report on the cause of the pain from Dr. David Altchek.
Jed Lowrie did not receive a conclusive answer from team physician Dr. David Altchek on what is causing pain in his left knee, according to Brodie Van Wagenen.
After a year and a half, the Mets essentially still don't know what's wrong with their $20 million infielder.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 23, 2020
Lowrie’s tale with the Mets has been strange from the beginning. The Mets signed him to a two-year, $20 million deal in January 2019.
Some saw this as a puzzling move because the Mets’ infield was already pretty overcrowded, especially with Jeff McNeil bursting onto the scene and the team trading for second baseman Robinson Cano a few weeks prior.
He sprained his left knee before the season even began, resulting in him being placed on the IL, and didn’t play at all until Sept. 7. He had a grand total of eight plate appearances, all as a pinch-hitter.
He recorded one walk and zero hits and didn’t play the field once.
The Mets, and their fans, are lucky that the team’s infield is so deep. This contract is already proving to be a disaster, so imagine how much worse it would have been if the team desperately needed Lowrie to contribute.
His absence won’t be devastating but it’d be nice for the team to at least have an extra depth piece. Lowrie is capable of filling that role if he is healthy.
Lowrie, 36, was coming off one of his best seasons when he signed with the Mets. As a member of the Oakland Athletics in 2018, he slashed .267/.353/.448 with a .801 OPS and 121 OPS+ while hitting 23 home runs and recording 99 RBIs.
These numbers were good enough to get him to the All-Star Game for the first time in his career.
