'Thankful' Lowe one happy camper about his return to Rays

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- It was an eventful offseason for Brandon Lowe.

On Nov. 1, the Rays exercised the second baseman¡¯s $10.5 million club option for this season, keeping him with Tampa Bay for another season. Two days later, Lowe and his wife, Madison, welcomed their second child, a daughter named Bella Wren.

¡°The last three months have been a little bit of a blur,¡± Lowe said. ¡°I'm either running around relentlessly with the toddler [2-year-old Emmett] or trying to not lose my mind and take care of this little fragile baby. ¡­ So it's just been, ¡®Make sure everyone's healthy, and make it down to Florida.¡¯¡±

Lowe made it safe and sound for the Rays¡¯ first full-squad workout on Monday at Charlotte Sports Park, reporting that his daughter is happy and healthy after experiencing a handful of concerning situations over the past three months.

¡°She's been through a lot. She¡¯s going to be a badass, if I can say that,¡± Lowe said, smiling. ¡°And she's got to deal with Emmett, so she's going to be tough. She's great now, everyone's healthy, and we're glad to be down here in Port Charlotte and back out in the sunshine.¡±

Meanwhile, Lowe is thrilled to be back with the only team he¡¯s ever played for.

The Rays made it sound like an easy decision to retain Lowe, and they kept him all offseason despite some speculation that he could be traded entering the first of his two club-option years. Lowe said he tried to keep the mindset that he¡¯d be OK with whatever happened, but he was hoping it would work out this way.

¡°We¡¯ve been here for our entire career. And I don't know that there's been a lifetime Ray, so cool to keep that chance going,¡± Lowe said. ¡°It's another year that you're locked in and know that you're going to have a job. It's not something that a lot of people get to say. It's a tough league and a tough place to stick around, so to be able to have another year under my belt and another year to play this game, I'm extremely thankful.¡±

Lowe is also looking forward to the Rays¡¯ temporary relocation to Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. With the same dimensions as Yankee Stadium, the ballpark¡¯s short right-field porch is obviously built well for left-handed power hitters like Lowe, much more so than Tropicana Field.

Playing 81 games in that environment sounds good to him -- and plenty of other hitters in Tampa Bay¡¯s clubhouse. In fact, they were already joking during batting practice on Monday about their home ballpark for the season. Whenever anybody flies out to deep right this spring, Lowe said, his teammates will yell ¡°Steinbrenner!¡± to remind them the same ball could be a home run come Opening Day.

It will be an adjustment, but it could be a good one for Lowe.

¡°I think about 50% of our clubhouse is going to be extremely excited. The other ones that sit up on the rubber are probably the ones that aren't very happy about it,¡± he said. ¡°I'm excited. I think every single one of our hitters is. And our arms are good enough that I don't think that they're going to have much of a problem.¡±

Camp notes

? Everyone reported, as scheduled, before the Rays¡¯ first full-squad workout on Monday. Manager Kevin Cash said he was excited to get the full group together for the first time. He¡¯ll address the team on Tuesday, as Monday morning was busy enough with a handful of physicals and the club¡¯s annual photo day.

? Pitchers Taj Bradley, Zack Littell and Kevin Kelly threw bullpen sessions during Monday¡¯s workout. The position players went through baserunning drills and defensive work before taking batting practice. Cash was particularly pleased with the intensity of their infield work, which included timed double-play turns to simulate a runner getting down the line.

? Non-roster invitee Eloy Jim¨¦nez will get plenty of at-bats as a designated hitter and work in the outfield this spring. He¡¯s also getting some reps at first base, where he lined up with Yandy D¨ªaz during Monday¡¯s defensive drills. Cash said the Rays don¡¯t want to rush Jim¨¦nez into games there, given his lack of experience, but he was impressed by the veteran slugger¡¯s work there.

? Xavier Isaac, ranked as MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 51 overall prospect, reported to his first big league camp in excellent shape and got some work in the outfield on Monday. The first baseman played two games in right field for Double-A Montgomery last season and five in right during the Arizona Fall League. The left-handed slugger is expected to split his playing time between first base and the outfield this season.