Dodgers Team News

Relief Pitcher Mark Lowe Released by Los Angeles Dodgers

The major league comeback attempt of right-handed relief pitcher Mark Lowe has hit a bump in the road just a couple weeks before Opening Day.

Jerry Crasnick of ESPN is also reporting that the Los Angeles Dodgers have released Lowe from his minor league contract. Lowe reportedly wants to continue his career, and would not be opposed to another minor league contract with another team.

Lowe is a powerful example of how quickly fortunes can change for professional baseball players. He looked absolutely dominant as recently as 2015. He finished with a 1.96 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 61 strikeouts in 55 innings for both the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays that year.

That strong campaign secured him a two-year, $11 million contract with the Detroit Tigers the following offseason.

Unfortunately, Lowe has not been able to regain his prior form since that deal. He threw 49.1 innings in 2016 and finished with a 7.11 ERA.

He was released by the Tigers just before the start of the 2017 regular season, and he has not appeared in a major league game since.

Lowe spent all of last season in minors, first with the Seattle Mariners organization and then with the Chicago White Sox after the Mariners traded him in July.

That stop was especially brief, however, as the White Sox released him less than a month later. The Dodgers signed him to a minor league contract back in January. Now he will have to fight for a chance to return to The Show somewhere else.

His Future

Any team in need of right-handed bullpen depth could take a chance on a guy not far removed from success.

He could be a low-risk, high-reward option for another squad. A concern with Lowe is that his velocity has dipped in recent years, and he’s going to turn 35 soon.

It’s unclear if Lowe will ever get back to the majors. but it certainly won’t be with Los Angeles.

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Ian Smith

Sports enthusiast. Staff writer at Dodgers Nation and Last Word on Hockey. Former editor at Warriors World, SenShot and Rink Royalty. Former co-editor at Air Alamo. Former staff writer at Hashtag Basketball. B.A. in political science from San Jose State University with a minor in humanities. Pursuing M.A. in government at CSU Sacramento.

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