Specialist will try his hand with Lowrie

"The problem we're running into is he rehabbed so well this winter and came out of the chute obviously feeling good, then all of a sudden now we're going down another direction," manager Terry Francona said. "I think out of respect to Jed, we're just trying to make sure we get the best possible answer we can."

To that end, Lowrie returned to Boston Sunday after telling the Red Sox of the discomfort in his wrist - the same spot that bothered him for much of last season. He saw the three doctors Monday, before it was determined that more information was needed. Lowrie did not have surgery on the wrist last season after it was discovered that he had a nondisplaced fracture, instead relying on rest to rehab the injury.

"I think we explored everything and thought this was the best way to go about it. And he really responded really well," Francona said.

"It's certainly the same vicinity. But saying that, there's so much stuff going on in that little area there that that's, I think, what they're trying to make sure, trying to pin down exactly what's leading to what."

Lowrie has clearly struggled since the season began, going just 1 for 18 after hitting .343 in spring training, but he didn't tell the coaching staff about any wrist problem. Asked whether he noticed anything in Lowrie's swing in recent days, Francona said, "No. I mean, he was dragging the bat a little bit. But again, I don't know that guys hit .600. He had swung the bat so well in spring training that at some point, you make outs. Then he had a couple different games where he actually swung the bat good again.

"We saw him lefthanded, I know that's where he runs into a problem, kind of dragging his hands a little bit. But hitters do that anyway. I can't sit here and say we did [notice] or we would have pulled him in and asked him."

"My thumb kind of got caught in my hand," Bay said. "Very, very, very minimal soreness, hardly anything. I woke up this morning and kind of forgot. I was like, my hand's supposed to hurt, so I kind of started digging on it. No, I'm fine."

Bay, meanwhile, has gotten off to a good start in his contract season, with a 320 average, 2 homers, and 7 RBIs. But he said he wasn't overly concerned with impressing general managers and scouts (his own or others). He knows what he can do, and he believes they know what he can do.

"I've done it for five years now," Bay said. "I don't think that because it's a contract year, I really have to do anything else. I just want to do what I've done.

"I want to be consistent. If I can stick with that, then I'm a big believer that consistency speaks volumes in this game. You know what you're going to get out of a guy every year, and I want to be that guy."

As for a contract extension with the Sox - general manager Theo Epstein declared talks had broken off in mid-March - there is nothing new.

"It's definitely not out of the realm of possibility," Bay said. "As of right now, I'm focusing on just going out and playing. If something in between now and then comes up, definitely all ears.

"But I'm not making it a focal point to go out and say we have to do this or that. If something comes up, [good]; if not, I just keep playing. I'm happy with that."

Material from the Associated Press was used; Amalie Benjamin can be reached at abenjamin@globe.com.