Lowell will swing into action

His spring debut is today as DH

BRADENTON, Fla. - The same face greeted Red Sox manager Terry Francona every morning this spring. Standing in the clubhouse, there before the rest of the team, was third baseman Mike Lowell, working out at dawn to recover from offseason hip surgery.

"He's got to be tired of it," Francona said.

Lowell finally will get a reprieve today, when he'll start as a designated hitter in his spring training debut. Lowell will bat twice, then gauge whether his right hip - beset by a torn labrum last fall - feels good enough for him to play third base Friday against the Yankees. Lowell views his first action with anticipation, not concern.

"I'd say it's more ready," Lowell said. "I'm not concerned with anything hurting or anything like that. I just want to kind of get my legs under me now. I'm playing a little bit of catch-up. I'm actually really excited."

"It's nice," Francona said. "It's been a long road back for him. It's been an interesting winter. Now I think you'll really see him, as he's more involved in the games, it'll really perk him up, too. He's been there every morning. You see the coaches and Mikey and [Mark Kotsay]. I'll be real excited for him to get in the game."

Yesterday, Lowell sprinted around the bases at City of Palms Park wearing spikes, which he called the "last test." He has felt comfortable hitting and fielding for a while, but still felt discomfort running - he felt imbalanced with his right leg back and left leg forward. Lowell felt good yesterday after running the bases, even with the chopping steps required to touch them.

"It's getting a lot better," Lowell said. "I would say I just feel like one joint is all over the place and the other one is really good. The doctor said that that's normal, that you almost have to concentrate on the mechanics of running a little bit more. It sounds really simple and stupid, but I almost understand it."

If Lowell plays the field Friday night, he'll face a different challenge. While rehabbing, nothing could replicate standing stagnant at his position for extended periods, then making a quick move to field a ground ball.

"I haven't really spent days where you're just standing in spikes, going back to your position, taking your ground balls," Lowell said. "It's usually been drill work - you're done, go to the next station. So I'm excited to get into the game-type mode."

Lowell will not take anti-inflammatory medicine for six months, he said, because he wants to see how his body reacts naturally. If he experiences pain, he said, he'll use Advil.

Lowell's injury has become more high-profile in recent days. Alex Rodriguez had surgery that was similar - but not as serious - as Lowell's yesterday in Colorado. Rodriguez and he exchanged messages, Lowell said. Rodriguez asked about Dr. Bryan Kelly, who performed Lowell's surgery in New York last October. Lowell recommended Kelly, but Rodriguez ultimately chose a different doctor.

"I can't believe this is just happening now," Lowell said. "I just think there's a lot of guys that have the wear and tear now. With MRIs and all that, things are maybe being found out a little earlier."

Jed Lowrie handled 155 chances over his 49 games as a shortstop last season without committing an error. Yesterday, he made two errors there in roughly five minutes. First, Lowrie called for a fly ball in shallow center field, waving off Brad Wilkerson. But the ball plopped out of his mitt. Then a ground ball deflected off his glove and shin and bounded away. "He's handled himself so well, and then that was a really tough inning," Francona said. "It will be interesting to see how he bounces back. And he will. He'll bounce back. He'll be OK." Lowrie, of course, is competing with Julio Lugo for the starting shortstop job. Lugo is leading the Red Sox with a .533 batting average in Grapefruit League games. Lowrie went 0 for 3 yesterday, dropping his average to .316, but Francona repeatedly has said he's been impressed with the offense of both Lowrie and Lugo.

This week could determine whether Brad Penny is able to make his first scheduled start of the season, Francona said. Penny will face hitters in live batting practice Thursday, "then we'll go from there," Francona said. His next step will be a simulated game against minor leaguers. Because of a day off after Opening Day, the Red Sox will not need a fifth starter until April 15. Penny threw 35 pitches in a bullpen session Sunday . . . Center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury did not travel with the Red Sox because of a slight tweak in his hamstring. Francona reiterated that the injury is not of concern . . . Chip Ambres and Zach Daeges both remained in Fort Myers with ankle injuries. Ambres fouled a ball off his ankle, and Daeges tripped on the base paths . . . Four Red Sox hit home runs: Wilkerson, Josh Bard, Nick Green, and Dusty Brown. Wilkerson's was a grand slam. Bard started at DH to allow George Kottaras an opportunity to catch . . . The Red Sox bus got stuck in traffic on the way to Bradenton. The driver pulled off the highway and, for a moment, lost his way. "We did some zigging and zagging," Francona said.

Amalie Benjamin of the Globe staff contributed to this report.