Lowrie to be placed on DL

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Red Sox shortstop Jed Lowrie will be placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left wrist sprain, the team has announced. Infielder Gil Velazquez will take his place on the roster.

Lowrie will obviously be out of the lineup tonight against the A's, since he has been sent back to Boston for tests on the wrist, the same one that was injured for much of last season. Nick Green will take his place at shortstop.

"The only thing we have right now is he was sent back for a bunch of tests to try to be a little more conclusive on what's going on," manager Terry Francona said. "He showed up yesterday and said it was bothering him and I think the more we started talking to him and pushing a little bit and realized that we needed to get this thing checked out.

"He had such a good spring and then when you kind of push and prod him a little bit, he had said it had started to bother him for the last couple weeks but he didn't say anything to us. I don't know. On one hand we kind of told him, Hey, you need to let us know. On the other hand, that's how players are. I guess you kind of respect it."

After hitting .343 in spring training, Lowrie was just 1 for 18 during the first five games of the season with eight strikeouts.

While under normal circumstances -- not facing three lefties in a row, for example -- Francona might handle the situation by starting Nick Green, pinch hitting Chris Carter, then replacing him with Gil Velazquez, that might be a tough order during this Oakland series. But there wasn't really a question that Lowrie had to go on the disabled list, even though the test results aren't all in. Francona said that the wrist probably needs the two weeks, at a minimum, "to let this thing calm down."

So just about a month ago, the Sox thought they had a shortstop competition on their hands. Now both shortstops -- Lowrie and Julio Lugo -- are on the disabled list.

"It never fails," Francona said. "You don't know what's going to happen. We have too many shortstops, then all of a sudden you don't have any. That's the way the game is."

Also, Jacoby Ellsbury has the night off against the lefthanded Dallas Braden.

Red Sox

1. Rocco Baldelli, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
5. J.D. Drew, RF
6. Jason Bay, LF
7. Mike Lowell, 3B
8. Jason Varitek, C
9. Nick Green, SS
-- SP, Jon Lester

Athletics

1. Ryan Sweeney, RF
2. Orlando Cabrera, SS
3. Jason Giambi, 1B
4. Matt Holliday, LF
5. Nomar Garciaparra, 3B
6. Jack Cust, DH
7. Kurt Suzuki, C
8. Bobby Crosby, 2B
9. Rajai Davis, CF
-- SP, Dallas Braden