"Mike Lowell felt well enough yesterday that he thought he could return to the lineup as soon as Friday. After being placed on the disabled list, however, Lowell won't play until two weeks from then.

The Red Sox made the decision more as a precautionary measure as much as anything else. Lowell, who underwent right hip surgery last October, had been bothered by stiffness in the area for the past two weeks.

He received an injection of Synvisc - a lubricant that coats an irritated joint - and had 15 ccs (or milliliters) of fluid drained from the area Monday.

"He showed up today and felt great - great to the point where he was thinking he could play in a few days, which we were excited about," manager Terry Francona said before last night's game. "At the same time, if he plays a couple of days and isn't feeling as good as he wants, we've kind of ruined a really good opportunity to get him back after the All-Star break, playing the majority of the time and feeling pretty good."cw0

Lowell was placed on the DL retroactive to Sunday. He'll be eligible to be activated July 17, when the second-half of the season begins, having had four extra days of rest thanks to the All-Star break. To take Lowell's spot on the roster, the Sox called up Jeff Bailey from Triple-A Pawtucket."