Josh
Lowe

The Angels' lineup has been chronically right-handed for years — a predictable, one-dimensional attack that opposing managers can neutralize with a single left-handed reliever in a late-inning situation. Josh Lowe fixes that problem when he plays. A left-handed hitter with legitimate power and above-average athleticism, acquired via a three-team trade from Tampa Bay. The ceiling here is real.

The concern is also real. Lowe felt a tug in his left oblique making a throw on February 28th and has been limited since. He says it is not serious and he expects to be ready for Opening Day. He is probably right. But this is the fourth oblique injury in two years — three to the right, now one to the left — and the pattern is harder to dismiss than any individual incident. He played 108 games with the Rays in 2025. He has been on the injured list three times because of this exact muscle group.

The trade itself was already being questioned before the oblique news. Taylor Ward — who logged 156 games in 2024 and 157 in 2025 and never had a health problem — went to Baltimore for Grayson Rodriguez, and Lowe came in as the outfield piece. The Rodriguez part of that equation is looking better. The Lowe part now carries an asterisk.

If he is healthy, this lineup is more dangerous and more balanced than last year. That is still the right outcome to root for. But the Angels have no margin for error in the outfield if Lowe spends six weeks in May on the injured list again.