ANAHEIM – The Angels added another successful back-to-back in the Majors with the acquisition of Josh Lowe in a trade with the Rays last week, but now they have to see how he fits into full form out of the outfield.
Lowe, acquired for left-hander Brock Burke and Minor League pitcher Chris Clark as part of a three-team trade involving the Reds, had a breakout season in ’23 but struggled offensively last year. He has also played on the right wing over the past three years but has played 25 games in the middle and 29 on the left.
Suffice it to say that general manager Perry Minasian said after the trade that Lowe could enter the team’s plans but it will be the decision of manager Kurt Suzuki. The Angels have plenty of outfielders in Mike Trout, Jo Adell, Jorge Soler and Matthew Lugo, all right-handed hitters, so Lowe gives them balance as a left-handed hitter.
Minasian also said he could see Adell and Trout seeing some time in the center; Bryce Teodosio has proven to be a decent middle infielder defensively (10 OAA) but has yet to hit like a big leaguer (career .523 OPS). Left-hander Wade Meckler, who was acquired from the Giants on Jan. 7, has experience in center but hasn’t played in the Majors since ’23, when he hit .232 with two doubles in 20 games.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Minasian said. “Obviously we will hold hands [Lowe] and seeing him at Spring Training. And ‘Zuk’ will make those decisions when it comes to the show. [Lowe] played center field in the minor leagues passing. He has played center before. You played the right field. He played left field. So we’ll see where he is and how he fits in.”
Lowe, 27, is still running well, ranking in the 67th percentile in rushing per Statcast, but that was a drop from the 79th percentile in ’24 and the 85th percentile in ’23. He suffered right oblique problems in ’24 and ’25 that kept him out of action for over a month.
Lowe also hasn’t come off as a strong right fielder, as he ranks in the 16th percentile in Range (-4 OAA), but he has a strong arm. The Angels hope that if he can put the oblique injury behind him, he can deliver something close to his ’23 season, when he hit .292/.335/.500 with 20 homers, 33 doubles and 83 RBIs in 135 games. Last year his slash line was .220/.283/.366 with 11 homers and 40 RBIs in 108 games.
One of the biggest problems for Lowe during his four-year career has been hitting lefties, as he hit .181/.240/.264 in 288 career plate appearances. He hit a very respectable .266/.322/.450 in 1,235 plate appearances against righties.
The Angels have no left-handed bats in their lineup, so Lowe could be teamed with Teodosio, which would keep Trout and Adell as regulars in the lineup, while Trout shared the hitting time with Soler. But Minasian wouldn’t rule out Lowe getting a chance against the rest.
“When we evaluated the player, there were some things that stood out,” said Minasian. “He hasn’t been good on the left. He hasn’t had many chances. So again, that will be a question for the staff and ‘Zuk’ if we put our hands on him. But with good players, sometimes it takes experience and playing time to learn to defend on the same side.”
Despite having seven outfielders on the 40-man roster, Minasian could be open to adding to that group, though it’s not a huge deal. The Angels are still targeting a starting pitcher, infielder and potential reliever this offseason, with three weeks until pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 10.
“We like where we are right now and the additions we’ve made, but we’re always looking for improvements,” Minasian said. “So I’m never going to rule anything out, but with the addition of Josh, and Teo and Jo and Mike and Jorge, we have guys who have some experience and have done some things and can play in different positions. So again, we’ll see where everybody is, how it’s going, what’s available. You never know what’s going to happen. Things change at different times over a period of time.”
