Sox Beat: Lowrie's may be a short stop

AS THE POP-UP off the bat of Rangers outfielder David Murphy hung in the air, two Red Sox players converged in a moment ripe with symbolism.

Julio Lugo, playing out of position due to the early ejection of Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez, jogged in from left. At the last moment, Lugo narrowly avoided a collision by peeling off in deference to shortstop Jed Lowrie, who secured the fly ball for the final out of his team's 6-5 comeback victory.

For the third time in as many big-league starts, Lowrie played a key role in a win. Playing third base on Tuesday, he drove in three runs in his major-league debut to key a 5-3 win. On Friday, he chipped in two hits from shortstop in an 11-3 win. Yesterday, he started at second, slashing a pair of doubles to help spearhead Sox rallies in the seventh and eighth innings.

Lowrie's performance in his maiden days in the bigs has opened eyes. He has impressed members of the organization with his professionalism and results.

"He works very hard to be ready to play when he's asked. He's in that cage as much as I am. He gets his work in," said hitting coach Dave Magadan. "He's got a lot of confidence in his abilities. The only limitations he has are any limitations he puts on himself."

"You can just tell the guys who just have it. He has it," added Sox first baseman Sean Casey. "Not only is he a great player, but he's a great teammate and a great person. I think that's a big thing. He works hard, he goes about his business the right way, he carries himself right. He's a great player, and he's going to be around a long time in a Red Sox uniform."

Dustin Pedroia scores on a 4th inning double by David Ortiz against Texas at Fenway today. The streaking Sox swept the four-game series. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Such lauds suggest that Lugo -- who has now been underwhelming since signing a four-year, $36 million deal before the 2007 season -- is on notice. And with good reason.

Since being traded from Tampa Bay to the Dodgers at the 2006 trading deadline, Lugo ranks among the worst players in the majors in average (.237, 16th worst), on-base percentage (.289, 12th worst) and slugging (.330, eighth worst).

Lugo has shown a startling lack of pop, collecting just eight homers and 54 extra-base hits in his last 782 at-bats. Though the 24-year-old Lowrie has just 12 at-bats in the majors this year, compared to 66 for Lugo, the rookie still has more extra-base hits (3 to 2) and RBIs (5 to 2) than the incumbent.

All of that would suggest that Lugo could be on borrowed time. Such claims, however, remain premature.

The Sox, after all, won last year's World Series with Lugo as an everyday player and are currently in first place in the American League East. Though they have received limited returns from Lugo, they have not suffered because of his presence.

Given the remaining investment (upwards of $25 million) in Lugo, it would be understandable if the team gave him every chance to contribute. His salary and performance make him virtually untradeable, and it would be difficult to relegate the veteran to a backup or utility role in which he might sulk (as he did with the Dodgers in '06).

Further, while Lowrie has offered a tantalizing glimpse of his potential, his development remains unfinished. Despite his success both last year in Triple-A and through a handful of big league games this year, he has played just 53 games above the Double-A level.

Offensively, he has yet to play enough at the upper levels to gauge how he will respond when a league adjusts to him. Defensively, though he has made substantial progress since the Sox converted him from second base to shortstop in 2005, there remains plenty of room for refinement.

If the Sox knew that Lowrie were the better player than Lugo for both the short- and long-term right now, they would likely commit to him. The Sox -- who take pride in their ability to analyze players objectively -- would be loathe to block a better player just because they made a bad investment.

Yet the team is also reluctant to commit prematurely to a player who can benefit from time in the minors. Kevin Youkilis spent 2004 and 2005 traveling the Pawtucket-to-Boston corridor as an outstanding backup before breaking into an everyday role in the majors in 2006.

Once everyday third baseman Mike Lowell returns from the disabled list, Lowrie might find himself in a similar position. Yet just as was the case when his name surfaced in trade talks for pitcher Johan Santana, Lowrie refuses to dwell on an issue that is beyond his control.

"Getting called up for the first time, it's a big deal," said Lowrie. "Then to be able to play and contribute, it's pretty awesome. But it's still early, and I've still got to maintain focus because it's a long year.

"My approach is I'm not thinking about the future. I'm worried about what I can do today to help us win. When I get my work in, that's when I look toward the future. When the game is going, I'm not thinking about tomorrow. I'm thinking about right now."

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Alex Speier covers the Red Sox for the New Hampshire Union Leader and New Hampshire Sunday News.