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BOSTON -- After a five-game rehab assignment at Triple-A Pawtucket, Boston Red Sox infielder Jed Lowrie (shoulder) has rejoined the parent club and will be activated from the disabled list on Monday.

During his stint with the PawSox, Lowrie went 7-for-17 with four doubles, five RBIs and two walks, and deemed himself ready to go. The Red Sox will make a corresponding roster move after tonight’s game.

“I accomplished everything I wanted to,” Lowrie said of the rehab assignment.

Lowrie, who has been on the disabled list since June 17 with a shoulder strain, said his strength is back but he can still feel something. He’s dealt with injuries and setbacks his entire career and now he’s hoping to help the Red Sox for the stretch run.

“I’ve proven time and again I can get back up after being knocked down,” Lowrie said. “I don’t know what 100 percent is anymore. I know that I feel good.”

Lowrie tested his injured shoulder in Pawtucket and made a couple of diving plays and said there were no issues and he doesn’t plan on holding back.

“He’s not ready to play every day, but he doesn’t have to,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “He swung the bat well and when guys are out for a while you just don’t know how they’re going to swing the bat. Jed has proven that when he’s healthy he’s a really good hitter and when he’s not that’s when he makes outs. I think it’s good we took the slower route and got him healthy because he can really help us.”

Lowrie says he isn't concerned about his role moving forward; he just want to contribute.

“I’m here to do whatever I can to help this team go where it needs to go,” Lowrie said.

BOSTON -- Red Sox infielder Jed Lowrie (shoulder) will continue his minor-league rehab assignment at Triple-A Pawtucket this weekend.

He will serve as the PawSox’s designated hitter Friday night and will play shortstop on Saturday before having Sunday off. If everything goes as planned, he’ll be activated on Monday and travel with the Red Sox to Minnesota.

He is a combined 3-for-8 with a double, two RBIs and a walk in three rehab games at Triple A.

“He swung the bat well and made a diving play right on that shoulder,” Francona said. “He did fine.”

CHICAGO -- Finally, some good news for infielder Jed Lowrie, who sustained nerve damage in his shoulder after a late-May collision with outfielder Carl Crawford and hasn't played since June 16: He will head to Triple-A Pawtucket on Monday to begin a rehab assignment.

The schedule, as laid out by manager Terry Francona, is this: Lowrie will play shortstop for the PawSox on Monday, serve as DH on Tuesday, work out with the Sox at Fenway Park on Wednesday, play short again in Pawtucket on Thursday, and either play short or DH again on Friday. He'll then be re-evaluated, Francona said, to determine whether he is ready to return to the Sox roster or continue rehabbing.

Lowrie won the everyday job at short from Marco Scutaro with a sizzling April (.368/.385/.574, with 8 extra-base hits, including three home runs and a dozen RBIs). "He was our most productive hitter,'' Francona said.

But Lowrie's desire to play a full season unimpeded by injury (like the wrist injury that ultimately required surgery and impacted two years) or illness (mononucleosis sidelined him for over three months last season) evaporated when he collided in short left field with Crawford while pursuing a shallow fly ball in Detroit on May 29.

Lowrie tried to play through the injury but batted just .128 (5 for 39) in 10 games after the collision, his overall average dropping from .306 to .270, and he was placed on the DL June 17. Scutaro has started 32 of 33 games since then entering play Friday night, batting .242/.321/.367.

BOSTON -- Injured Red Sox infielder Jed Lowrie (shoulder strain) continues to make steady progress with his rehab.

He’s now able to participate in soft toss drills in the batting cage and continues to take ground balls. Lowrie said he’s working hard to the point of fatigue, but he’s not overdoing it and hopes to know soon when he’ll be able to go on a rehab assignment.

“It’s a slow, steady progression, which is what we thought it would be,” manager Terry Francona said.

Lowrie has been on the DL since June 17.

BOSTON -- Injured Red Sox infielder Jed Lowrie (left shoulder strain) continues to take ground balls, but has yet to take batting practice.

Lowrie has been on the disabled list since June 17.

“He still has that discomfort where he doesn’t want to hit,” manager Terry Francona said. “But his strength is really improving, which is good.”

BOSTON -- My skates are off and my spikes are back on for the remainder of the Red Sox season. I’m back at Fenway Park today and here are some morning updates from manager Terry Francona:

-- Red Sox starter Josh Beckett is still dealing with the flu bug and remains questionable for his next scheduled start on Saturday at Pittsburgh.

“He’s really sick,” Francona said. “Doctors are trying to figure it out. I have not seen him this morning. He wasn’t good yesterday and we’re going to have to play this one by ear. There are some pitchers, because of the off day, that we’re actually OK.”

If Beckett begins to feel better in the coming days, Francona is not inclined to throw the veteran right-hander out there immediately.

“We’ll see how he responds [Thursday],” Francona said. “He just has a good old-fashioned case of the flu.”

In case Beckett can’t pitch on Saturday, lefty Andrew Miller is set to throw a shorter side session on Thursday in case he’s needed to start in place of Beckett.

-- Right-handed reliever Bobby Jenks will throw a side session on Thursday and will increase his workload more than the 20-pitch session he tossed on Tuesday. Francona said Jenks has made “really rapid steps” in the last three or four days. If he responds well after Thursday’s extended session, the team and the medical staff will make a decision where Jenks goes from there.

-- Injured Red Sox shortstop Jed Lowrie is in Los Angeles and will have his left shoulder examined today by Dr. Lewis Yocum. Francona said there could be an update on Lowrie’s condition following this afternoon’s game.

BOSTON -- Shortstop Jed Lowrie, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with what the team is calling a strained left shoulder, is flying to southern California for a second opinion from orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum, manager Terry Francona said.

Lowrie is scheduled to be examined Wednesday by Yocum, who last month saw pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka and confirmed that he had a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

Lowrie, initially injured in a collision with outfielder Carl Crawford on May 27 in Detroit, came out of a game last Thursday against Tampa Bay in the first inning, saying his shoulder felt like it had popped out of joint before slipping back in.

BOSTON -- Jed Lowrie was placed on the disabled list Friday because of a sore left shoulder, the result of a collision the Sox shortstop had with outfielder Carl Crawford in Detroit on May 29.

Lowrie had an MRI on Friday, and while the exam did not show any “significant damage,” according to manager Terry Francona, it was clear to the Red Sox medical staff that rest and rehab is necessary to strengthen his shoulder before he can return.

He was replaced on Boston’s roster by utilityman Drew Sutton, who was called up from Pawtucket. Sutton had been sent down this past Tuesday. Once being demoted, a player has to spend at least 10 days in the minors before he can be recalled unless he is recalled to replace an injured player, which is why Sutton was available Friday to take Lowrie’s place.

Lowrie, who has been hampered by the shoulder problem, came out of Thursday night’s game after striking out with the bases loaded in the first inning. He was unable to take a healthy swing.

He was batting .301 at the time he collided with Crawford. He was down to .270 after Thursday night’s game.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Red Sox shortstop Jed Lowrie, whose left shoulder has been bothering him for nearly three weeks, may be headed for the disabled list after leaving Thursday's game in the first inning.

Lowrie said he felt like his shoulder came out of the socket while striking out with the bases loaded against Rays left-hander David Price.

"It's sore,'' Lowrie said. "It felt like it slipped out. It wasn't out, but it felt like it came out and went back in.''

Asked if he thought he might have to shut it down, Lowire said: "I don't know. I've never dealt with this before.''

Red Sox manager Terry Francona said Lowrie would be re-evaluated by doctors back in Boston on Friday.

Tim Britton of the Providence Journal, who was at Thursday night's Pawtucket game, said infielder Drew Sutton came out of the game in the seventh inning, which suggests he may be on his way back to Boston. Marco Scutaro replaced Lowrie in the bottom of the first and played shortstop, singling in three at-bats.

Lowrie has been bothered by what the team has called a bruised left shoulder since colliding with outfielder Carl Crawford in Detroit on May 27.

The Sox administered an MRI last week in New York, and both manager and player reported it came back clean, though Lowrie said the shoulder still ached.

Thursday's strikeout extended Lowrie's hitless string to 0 for 15, and he is 1 for 17 on the trip.

Lowrie had three days off (two games) before returning to the lineup Wednesday night and going hitless in three trips. In the 10 games since the collision, Lowrie is batting .163 (7 for 43), his overall average dropping from .306 to .270.

"It certainly wasn't this sore,'' Lowrie said. "I don't know what's going on yet, either. I just know what I feel.''

After getting Monday night off with a sore shoulder, Jed Lowrie is back in the lineup tonight (vs. White Sox, 7:10 ET) for the Red Sox and hitting seventh:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury cf
2. Dustin Pedroia 2b
3. Adrian Gonzalez 1b
4. Kevin Youkilis 3b
5. David Ortiz dh
6. Carl Crawford lf
7. Jed Lowrie ss
8. J.D. Drew rf
9. Jason Varitek c

SP -- Alfredo Aceves, RHP

BALTIMORE -- Terry Francona isn’t going to instruct team publicist Pam Ganley to issue an official press release announcing his intentions, but the Red Sox manager on Wednesday all but declared that Jed Lowrie has displaced Marco Scutaro as the team’s starting shortstop.

Scutaro started 10 of the team’s first 12 games at short, a span in which the team went 2-10. Lowrie has started 7 of the next 10 at short, and also started two games at third. He is in Wednesday’s lineup at short, batting seventh.

Lowrie is batting a team-high .400, and is also leading the club in on-base percentage (.424) and slugging percentage (.636). Scutaro is batting .213, raising his average over .200 with two hits on Sunday in Anaheim.

Francona had eliminated the possibility of Lowrie challenging Scutaro for the shortstop position before spring training, declaring that Scutaro was the starter and that Lowrie would be used at all four infield positions.

But it’s obvious that Lowrie’s performance this month has altered the manager's thinking, and on Wednesday Francona suggested for the first time that Scutaro, who at 35 is eight years older than Lowrie, may become the utility infielder, a role Scutaro filled for most of his big-league career.

It was only in the last two seasons, 2009 with Toronto and last year with the Red Sox, that Scutaro had become an everyday shortstop, an unusual progression for a player of his age.

“I thought coming into the year the right thing to do was play Scutaro,’’ Francona said.

To make a change at that stage, he said, would not have been fair to Scutaro, who had played hurt all last season.

“Going into spring training, I think I talked about it, I don’t think I’d’ want to play for me [if he made the change],’’ Francona said. “The guy went out and did what he was supposed to do. Jed had been hurt.

“I kind of said, ‘We view Jed as a starting player but not right now. Well, when you hit .450, I think it’s my responsibility to put him in the lineup, at least most, a lot of the time. I don’t think [Scutaro] likes it very much and I actually don’t blame him, because he’s done everything we’ve asked.

“But I’ve got a responsibility to do what is right.’’

Francona also acknowledged Wednesday that while Lowrie will still play third base when Kevin Youkilis sits or serves as DH, he may start using Scutaro to back up at second and short.

“That’s what I’ve got to figure out,’’ he said. “I said earlier in the year, because Jed moved around so much, he was the obvious guy to move around. But as Jed plays short, that’s something I probably have to think about. The first week a guy sits a little bit, that’s not the time [to approach him]. I got to pick my spots.’’

ANAHEIM, Calif.--Jed Lowrie was not in the Red Sox starting lineup Sunday afternoon, despite a .431 batting average and hits in 11 of his last 12 games, including a double and single in Saturday night's 5-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Marco Scutaro, who went 0-for-3 in Friday night's 4-3 win over the Angels, was back at shortstop Sunday, batting ninth.

Manager Terry Francona said one reason for the change was he preferred Scutaro matching up against Angels starter Matt Palmer.

"This guy is a little tougher against lefties than righties,'' Francona said, alluding to Palmer's off-speed stuff. "I want to give Scutaro a game today. I think it's important. Jed's played a bunch in a row. Same thing with J.D. [Drew]. After the quick turnaround, give Cam [Mike Cameron] a game. I think it kind of balances us out a little bit.

"Try to do it on days where it makes sense. That's kind of what we're thinking.''

Statistically, left-handed batters have hit Palmer better, posting a .279/.391/.397 line against .242/.316/.385 against right-handed hitters. This season, lefties have only had nine at-bats against him, with two hits, while right-handed hitters are batting .324 over 34 at-bats.

Francona was asked if it was difficult to sit someone hitting as well as Lowrie has been.

"I think it makes sense,'' he said. "I think he's swinging the bat really well. I think sometimes you reach too far with guys though. You set them back. All of a sudden he's been playing a lot. I think you can help him out by [sitting him]. We love the way he's swinging the bat.''

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The tea leaves -- and Jed Lowrie's hot bat -- suggest that the Red Sox are open to making Lowrie the team’s everyday shortstop ahead of Marco Scutaro.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona dropped hints to that effect before Thursday’s 4-2, 11-inning win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, a game in which Lowrie singled and scored and drove in the game’s final run with a sacrifice fly after fouling off four two-strike pitches.

“As an organization, I think we think a lot of this kid,’’ Francona said. “We’d be crazy not to. But to just say he’s going to be the shortstop coming into camp, with all he’s been through, I don’t know if that would have made a whole lot of sense. He had the wrist injury, the mono. And maybe all along I think this spring Jed thought he had a lot to prove.’’

Lowrie is batting .432, the highest average in the American League for any player with more than 40 at-bats and second in the majors only to Matt Holliday of the Cardinals (.455). Small sample size? Since last July 21, when he came off the disabled list following an extended bout of mononucleosis that began in the spring, Lowrie has posted a .316/.393/.558/.951 batting line. Among big-league middle infielders with at least 200 plate appearances in that span, only Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies has a higher on-base average and slugging percentage.

Tulowitzki this past winter was so valued by the Rockies that he signed a 10-year, $157.75 million contract extension, even though he still had three years left on his contract.

"I think our evaluation of him for a long time was this kid controls the strike zone, he can hit the ball, not just for singles, he can get on base, he can hit the ball in the gap and now that he’s getting stronger, he's hitting the ball out of the ballpark,'' Francona said of Lowrie, who has 3 home runs and a dozen RBIs. "But we hadn’t seem him play for a long while.''

Francona also left little doubt that the team believes Lowrie can handle the position defensively.

"Jed's not blessed with ton of foot speed,'' the manager said, "but I think one thing as guys in uniform we need to be careful about is if you don't see the highlight reel play, that doesn’t mean the guy can't play a position. If they make the plays, that’s enough.''

Lowrie has started each of the last six games, including five at shortstop. Thursday night, he moved to third base in the second inning after Kevin Youkilis fouled a pitch off his left shin in a first-inning at-bat. X-rays on Youkilis were negative, but if Youkilis needs a day or two, Lowrie would remain at third and Scutaro would play short.

Lowrie, who just turned 27 last Sunday, is eight years younger than the 35-year-old Scutaro. He maintained this spring that he considered himself a shortstop and an everyday player, and wondered how much playing time he might get this season.

"Truthfully, I know if I just continue to prepare and do what I’m doing, I’ll be all right,’" Lowrie said the other day when asked if he was trying to make the shortstop decision hard for the Red Sox. “That’s not what’s motivating me. I’m motivated to go out there and help this team win and continue to be the good baseball player that I know I am.’’

Before the start of spring training, Francona had stated unequivocally that Scutaro was the team’s everyday shortstop, and stressed Lowrie’s versatility as a switch-hitter who can play all four infield positions. But until the last two seasons, when Scutaro was Toronto’s everyday shortstop in 2009 and served in the same role for the Red Sox in 2010, he was a utiilityman who played second, short and third and even spent a little time in the outfield.

So switching their roles would not leave the team deficient. Scutaro, who played with a pinched nerve in his neck and a strained rotator cuff in his right shoulder last season and earned Francona’s respect for grinding through the injuries, is off to a slow start this season, batting just .195 (8 for 46).

Scutaro is in the last year of a two-year, $12.5 million deal. The club holds an option on 2012 for $6 million, and if they decline to exercise it, Scutaro could trigger a player option for $3 million to return. The Sox also could buy him out for $1.5 million.

There’s no getting around it: Jed Lowrie has caught fire.

Lowrie went 4-for-5 with a home run on Monday, raising his batting average to .516. During the just-completed homestand, Lowrie hit .625 (15-for-24). The rest of the Red Sox hit .246.

Consider just a few of Lowrie's accomplishments from the last week:

* On Monday, he became just the third Red Sox shortstop in the past 50 years with four hits, a home run and four RBIs in the same game. Lowrie joined Luis Aparicio (1971) and Nomar Garciaparra (1998).

* Lowrie has at least one RBI in each of his last five games, the longest streak for a Red Sox shortstop since Julio Lugo in 2007. It’s even more impressive when you consider Lowrie pinch-hit in one of those five games.

* His streak of three straight games with at least two runs scored is the longest for a Red Sox shortstop since Garciaparra in 2003 (also three straight). On Tuesday, Lowrie looks to become the first since Billy Klaus in 1957 to do it in four straight.

Lowrie’s torrid start is just the continuation of an excellent second half in 2010. After missing the first three months with mononucleosis, Lowrie returned to post a .907 OPS in the second half.

Combine that with his first 11 games in 2011, and you’ll find one of the best offensive middle infielders in the majors.

In 65 games, Lowrie is hitting .322 with 11 HRs, 33 RBIs and a .968 OPS.

Since the 2010 All-Star break, only Troy Tulowitzki (1.080) has a higher OPS among middle infielders.

In fact, regardless of position, only five AL hitters have a higher OPS in that span entering Monday night: Paul Konerko, Miguel Cabrera, Jim Thome, Josh Hamilton and Jose Bautista.

Not bad company for a guy with an .808 career OPS in Pawtucket.

In a left-handed-heavy Red Sox lineup, the damage Lowrie was done against southpaws is particularly noteworthy.

Since returning last season, Lowrie is now hitting .386 with 7 HRs and a 1.142 OPS against left-handers. Only Tulowitzki (1.355) and Jay Bruce (1.158) have a higher OPS among those with at least 75 plate appearances over that span.

The Red Sox are currently in the middle of stretch in which they face six lefty starters in seven games.

Is he the everyday shortstop? For now, Lowrie has made it nearly impossible for Terry Francona to keep him on the bench.

BOSTON -- The Blue Jays, who have been aggressive on the basepaths all series, pulled off a successful double steal in the second inning, scoring a run that put Toronto on top 1-0.

Boston manager Terry Francona said the Sox were expecting the Jays to try the play. But the Red Sox didn’t look very crisp in executing their defense, though they did get the final out of the inning.

Aaron Hill was on third base and Juan Rivera was at first with two outs. Rivera took off on Jon Lester’s first pitch to Jayson Nix. Well, actually he sauntered, hoping to draw a throw, get in a rundown and allow Hill to score.

Boston catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia came up throwing, but made a poor throw. He short-hopped second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who made a diving stop. Hill scored without a throw, and Rivera was put out in a rundown. Saltalamacchia admitted he hadn’t executed the plan perfectly.

“That was one of those things where I have to peek at the runner at third,” Saltalamacchia said. “I saw that he [Rivera] didn’t get a good jump so I came up throwing. Luckily that didn’t kill us.”

Francona said he didn’t mind giving the Jays a run and a lead at that point in the game.

“We’ll take a tradeoff for a run to come off the field. We didn’t execute it the way we wanted to, but we got the out,” Francona said.

Eventful birthday: Jed Lowrie had an interesting 27th birthday Sunday.

He made his second straight start at shortstop. He went 1-for-4, but figured in all three of the Sox’ rallies. Lowrie also failed to run out a pop fly and made an error, possibly costing Jon Lester another shutout inning.

In the second, Lowrie lofted a pop fly to left that seemed destined to drift way into the stands. But the strong winds pushed the ball back. It landed just fair, but because Lowrie hadn’t been running, he was forced to stop at first instead of making it to second with a double. No problem there as he and three other Sox scored in the inning for a 4-1 lead.

“I don’t think anyone in the stadium thought that would be fair,” Lowrie said. “I started and stopped three times. The wind must have been blowing between 20 and 25 miles an hour. [It was officially at 21 m.p.h. at first pitch.] There was a 30-foot difference all day where the ball was headed and where it ended up.”

In the sixth, Toronto third baseman Nix mishandled Lowrie's checked-swing bouncer for an error, paving the way for two more Boston runs. And with the bases loaded and none out in the eighth, Lowrie’s easy bouncer to first was misplayed by Adam Lind. Two runs scored and Lowrie got credit for an RBI.

In the seventh, Lowrie bobbled a double-play ball up the middle with none out. Instead of getting two outs, the Jays had runners at first and second with none out, prompting Francona to lift Lester. But Daniel Bard escaped further trouble.

Roster move coming? Left-hander Felix Doubront was called in to pitch the eighth, but the rookie didn’t fare very well. He faced four batters, walking two and allowing a hit. Doubront caught Corey Patterson trying to steal third, but he had to be rescued by Bobby Jenks with two outs and runners at first and second.

After the game, Doubront was seen cleaning out his locker and packing his stuff in a box. It’s possible he could be optioned to Pawtucket to get some regular work.

There was no word from the Sox about a roster move.