Mets fan favorite Jed Lowrie is on the move, headed back to a familiar park.
The former All-Star, following a brief and frustrating stint in New York, is returning to the A’s on a minor-league deal, the team announced on Wednesday. Lowrie’s contract will include an invitation to spring training.
Lowrie will hope to rediscover his All-Star ways, and his health, in Oakland, where he slashed .267/.353/.448 in 2018 across 157 games. The Mets signed the infielder to a two-year, $20 million deal following that season, but Lowrie went on to suffer from a nagging knee injury that limited him to just nine games in 2019, and kept him off the field entirely in the shortened 2020 season.
Lowrie’s knee troubles began when he sprained his left knee capsule in February of 2019. Since then, there were extended periods of waiting for an official diagnosis, which eventually came with news that Lowrie was dealing with PCL laxity, or a loosening of the ligament that causes pain while running. Lowrie was given a knee brace to help with the pain during his rehab, but it was too restrictive of his movement to return to play. He received multiple injections late in the 2020 season, but he never returned to the field.
Lowrie’s disappointing Mets career ended with just eight plate appearances. The 36-year-old didn’t record a hit in a Mets uniform.
Lowrie has played 12 seasons at the major league level, collecting 1,043 hits while posting a career OPS of .748.
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