TEMPE, Ariz. \u2014 Josh Lowe has a simple explanation for why he\u2019s so sure that he can be an impact major-leaguer with a mix of power and speed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think I need to re-prove that because I\u2019ve done it,\u201d the Angels outfielder said Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n
Lowe is one of many players in Angels camp who is trying to return to form<\/a> after getting derailed by injuries. Lowe was one of the most promising young players in the majors when he hit .292 with an .835 OPS, 20 home runs and 32 stolen bases in 2023, his first full season.<\/p>\n Oblique injuries have contributed to a decline in the two years since. He\u2019s hit .230 with a .670 OPS in the past two years.<\/p>\n Now, Lowe said he spent the winter doing what he needed to do physically to try to prevent future trouble with his oblique. If he\u2019s healthy, he expects to be that player again.<\/p>\n \u201cThe good thing about that is I don\u2019t have to go out and try super hard to be that because I already have done that,\u201d said Lowe, 28. \u201cIt\u2019s just a matter of going out and being myself and doing what it takes every day to go win a game and those numbers will show up at the end of the season. And I think if you\u2019re going out and playing the game hard and playing the game to win for the people next to you, those things will take care of themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Lowe, who is 6-foot-4, is the type of physical specimen that makes scouts drool. He was drafted 13th overall by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2016.<\/p>\n The pandemic interrupted his progress toward the big leagues. He reached the majors in 2021, and in 2023 showed star potential.<\/p>\n In 2024, he began to have oblique problems.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first time it happened, I was resting in spring training, just taking like a week,\u201d Lowe said. \u201cI just felt a little sore, and I think the build-up went too fast. Shame on me for just being too eager and wanting to go swing and hit, and that\u2019s when the oblique happened.\u201d<\/p>\n Last season, it happened to Lowe again, on Opening Day. He missed about a month and a half and wasn\u2019t the same when he returned. He acknowledged that the injury may have continued to affect him even when he was active.<\/p>\n \u201cI think oblique injures are more mental in a sense than they are physical,\u201d Lowe said. \u201cYou kind of think \u2018Oh, I hope I\u2019m OK today.\u2019 You\u2019re kind of working through some stuff. But I feel great and ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n Lowe played right field for most of his time with the Rays. The Angels are going to try him at all three spots in the outfield. If Mike Trout can play center field, as is his preference<\/a>, then Lowe and Jo Adell would be the likely corner outfielders. Both players have been more comfortable in right.<\/p>\n \u201cI just want to be anywhere in the outfield where I can be in the lineup,\u201d Lowe said. \u201cDoesn\u2019t matter. Left, center, right. Whatever gets me going and playing, that\u2019s what I\u2019m going to do. Whatever I can do to help the team win and play a lot, that\u2019s my goal.\u201d<\/p>\n At the plate, Lowe has a chance to help the Angels\u2019 righty-dominated lineup do better against right-handed pitchers. Even as Lowe struggled last season, he still had a .727 OPS against righties. His problem was a .459 OPS against lefties.<\/p>\n CLARK FALLOUT<\/p>\n The shock of Tony Clark abruptly resigning as head of the Major League Baseball Players Association didn\u2019t hit anyone in the Angels\u2019 clubhouse as hard as it hit left-hander Brent Suter.<\/p>\n Suter has been on the MLBPA executive subcommittee since 2022, and prior to that spent three years as the Milwaukee Brewers\u2019 player rep.<\/p>\n \u201cBasically reporting directly to Tony for seven or eight years \u2026 I\u2019ve definitely known Tony and his staff,\u201d Suter said. \u201cHe\u2019s like a mentor to me, like a dad to me, in a lot of ways \u2026<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been one of the honors of my life to be on the subcommittee. This is a tough day.\u201d<\/p>\n