Ever since Triston Casas suffered a season-ending injury in early May, the Boston Red Sox had been looking for a first baseman. Abraham Toro filled in admirably for a brief period, and Romy Gonzalez has strafed left-handed pitching, but for the most part, the Red Sox have needed a first baseman. With that in mind, when the Washington Nationals DFA'd Nathaniel Lowe, it felt like he'd be a perfect fit with the Red Sox.
Sure enough, in his first start with the team, Lowe drilled a game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth.
Welcome to Fenway Park, Nathaniel Lowe
— MLB (@MLB) August 20, 2025
His first HR with the @RedSox is a GAME-TYING shot in the 9th! pic.twitter.com/5g7ApvuWYA
It would've been hard for Lowe to have made a better first impression than this. The Red Sox managed to score just one run through the first eight innings, but with one powerful swing against Yaramil Hiraldo, Lowe brought home a pair to tie the game.
He started at DH in this game, but in general, this swing from Lowe told Red Sox fans exactly what they knew about Nathaniel Lowe - he's a player worth starting at first base, and the Red Sox got an absolute steal getting to sign him essentially for free.
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Nathaniel Lowe is exactly what the Red Sox needed
Adding stars is always ideal, but the Red Sox simply needed adequate first base play. That's what Lowe can provide. His .216/.292/.373 slash line in 119 games with the Nationals left a lot to be desired, but he still had 16 home runs and 68 RBI with Washington. Notably, while Lowe's .665 OPS with the Nationals was well below average, he had an above-average .734 OPS against right-handed pitching. Platooning him with Romy Gonzalez at first base feels like an easy move that Alex Cora should and will make.
Perhaps moving to a winning situation in Boston from a dumpster fire in Washington will allow Lowe to catch fire. In the 2023 campaign when the Texas Rangers won the World Series, Lowe had a 114 OPS+ and won a Gold Glove at first base. The season prior to that saw him hit 27 home runs and put up the best offensive numbers of his career. The 2024 campaign wasn't quite as impressive for Lowe, but he still managed to put up a 123 OPS+, well above league average. Again, this season hasn't been great, but going from a team trying to win in Texas to one that's currently 25 games under .500 in Washington certainly could've impacted him.
Lowe's track record is just solid. He has a career 116 OPS+, and a career .786 OPS against righties while having a strong track record defensively at first base even if this season hasn't been as great on that front.
Getting a player of his ability for free just doesn't happen. The Red Sox lucked out, and if anyone else on this team could've come up with a big hit, they could've stolen a huge win because of it. Regardless, there are sure to be many big moments from Lowe down the stretch for a Red Sox team fighting tooth and nail to get back to the postseason.