The Boston Red Sox still haven’t found a full-time solution to their ongoing first base dilemma after Triston Casas suffered a season-ending left knee injury (ruptured patellar tendon) earlier this month.
Red Sox fans thought that Rafael Devers would be a perfect replacement for Casas, given that he’s the designated hitter and has played third base. However, Devers isn’t a fan of the idea and has said as much.
Therefore, the Red Sox have been using a platoon of Abraham Toro and Romy Gonzalez, which hopefully can hold them over until the trade deadline at the end of July. One first baseman who could be of interest to the Red Sox is Nathaniel Lowe of the Washington Nationals.
Sean McAdam of MassLive said to Chris Cotillo of MassLive on the Fenway Rundown podcast that "at least one team had contacted the Washington Nationals of late to inquire about the potential availability of Nathaniel Lowe."
McAdam added, "I don’t know for a fact that was the Red Sox, but it seems likely it was. There are not a lot of other teams in the market in mid-May for first basemen other than the Red Sox. So I’m going to assume that was one of the calls they made. Whoever that team was, they were told by the Nationals not interested, want Lowe around for his veteran leadership, not ready to wave the white flag."
Nevertheless, it’s not shocking that the Red Sox potentially checked in to gauge the Nationals’ temperature on Lowe’s availability. The veteran first baseman just joined the Nationals this year, as he was traded in the offseason by the Texas Rangers.
The 29-year-old infielder is hitting a disappointing .223 with eight home runs and 34 RBI in 49 games with the Nationals. Lowe also had a .694 OPS, which is the worst in his career. For his career, the vet is a .268 hitter.
The veteran first baseman is hitting .244 with seven home runs and 29 RBI against right-handed pitching this season, but has faltered against left-handed pitching (.180 with a home run and five RBI).
That said, if the Nats aren’t in wildcard contention by the time we get to June, Lowe becomes a solid target, especially if he can improve at the plate.
After this season, he still has one more year of arbitration and won’t become a free agent until 2027. He would also provide the Red Sox a bit of security at first base heading into next season until Casas is healthy and ready to play.