Elephant Rumblings: The force will be with Jed. Always.

It’s a bittersweet Friday, AN.

On Wednesday, Jed Lowrie was designated for assignment. On Thursday, he was released.

I think most of us would agree that the time was ripe for Lowrie to depart. The 38-year-old veteran of 14 seasons—seven of them in Oakland—was looking worse for wear this season. He missed all of July due to a shoulder injury, and his offensive production over 184 plate appearances has been abysmal:

• Lowrie, 2022: .180/.245/.263, 49 wRC+, 3 HR, 8.2% BB, 21.2% Ks

But Lowrie has been a clubhouse leader and fan favorite over the years and he was a key contributor during much of his time in Oakland—especially in 2018, when he made the AL All-Star team and hit 23 home runs and 99 RBIs to help the A’s win 97 games and a playoff berth. Fans began calling him “Jed Lowrie, Professional Hitter” around that time in admiration of his consistent approach and plate discipline.

Lowrie signed with the Mets after that 2018 season and was almost completely shut down for the duration of his two-year deal, making just eight plate appearances in total. He made an unexpected return to Oakland in 2021 and carried a solid workload through 139 games and 512 plate appearances. His offense was league average with a wRC+ of exactly 100.

The A’s tore down and began rebuilding after failing to make the postseason in 2021, and it was nice to see Lowrie stay on to lend his veteran presence to the team in 2022. Things didn’t pan out the way they did last year. But in the final analysis, this latest stint was icing on the cake as it seemed improbable that Lowrie, who has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career, would be productive again after his flameout in New York.

Thanks for the encore, Jed! Let’s hear about your favorite Jed Lowrie moments through the years, AN!

A’s Coverage:

• Brener: Throwback Thursday: Remembering Mark McGwire’s Rookie Season
• McDonald: A’s Release Jed Lowrie
• Higuchi: Dad power helps A’s Seth Brown establish stronger presence at plate ($)

MLB News & Interest:

• Polishuk: Active MLB Players Who Have Received A Qualifying Offer
• Rosenthal: At the Field of Dreams, a baseball family mourns and remembers ($)
• Franco: Previewing Upcoming Club Option Decisions: National League
• Stark: How MLB’s new rule led to a slew of position players pitching — but could help fix baseball ($)
• Polishuk and Adams: Injury Notes: Harper, Schwarber, Daza, Harris, Canterino
• Today in Baseball History

Best of Twitter:

Nope..not..crying. There’s just a little bit of dust in my eye.

Vote for play of the week!

Forst on the A’s ridiculous catching depth.

Chad does a pretty sweet air-Brian May, though he could use a little more hair to complete the vibe.

Cease and desist, young man!

A laudable deescalation of tensions.