Bailey in Baltimore

BALTIMORE -- Jeff Bailey has arrived in Baltimore, and will take the spot of Mike Lowell if the Sox decide to place the third baseman on the disabled list.

Lowell got an injection of Synvisc in his hip yesterday, and had 15 ccs of fluid drained from the hip. He was expected to meet with the Sox rehabilitation coordinator today, and was not expected to come to Baltimore at all for this series.

Bailey, a first baseman, could be activated as soon as today if the Sox determine that Lowell needs a longer rest. He has already missed all but two games over the last nine days, beginning by sitting out the final two games of the Braves series at home.

That was when Lowell first began to experience tightness in his hip, which worried him but did not worry doctors. Lowell said that his doctors had expected the tightness, but it was clearly wearing on him. He was anxious to get the Synvisc injection to relieve the tightness, and get him back to the field.

He did, however, express the possibility that he would need a stint on the DL in Atlanta over the weekend. Manager Terry Francona called a disabled list stay a "worst case scenario" yesterday.