What we learned at A’s camp: How does Jed Lowrie fit into the team’s plans?

Jed Lowrie is making his third stop with the Oakland A’s. This time he’s coming off October surgery for a partial tear of the posterior cruciate ligament and a fat pad impingement in his left knee.

He is back on a minor league contract with team hopes that he’ll crack the big league roster in due time.

And Lowrie has looked solid in camp.

“He looks good,” manager Bob Melvin said. “As far as swinging the bat goes, we haven’t seen him in games yet, but I was surprised. … It’s not easy to maintain the same type of swing that he does. And he still has it. He’s driving balls, both left and right-handed. I was surprised. This game is difficult enough as it is.”

Lowrie hasn’t played a game since September 2019 with the New York Mets. He struggled with injuries throughout his two-year deal there. Chili Davis, the Mets’ hitting coach, told Melvin that Lowrie had gone back and forth on getting surgery — ultimately deciding to go for it.

If Lowrie, 35, can keep up his health and pace, he could be a key piece for the A’s as a platoon second baseman and designated hitter. He’s taking ground balls, but his running progression is a little behind the others, Melvin said.

He might not be available for early Cactus League games, and the A’s will need to make another 40-man roster move to add Lowrie, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him on the opening day roster if all keeps up.

Sean Murphy’s scary day

A’s catcher Sean Murphy is back on the field this week playing catch and doing light baseball activities nearly a month after undergoing two surgeries on a collapsed lung.

Typically stoic, Murphy was vulnerable when recounting a traumatic late-January day in which he woke up with severe chest pains — thinking he had COVID-19 — and ended up in the emergency room getting surgery.

“That was just to make sure my lung didn’t collapse and kill me, basically,” Murphy said. “So that one had to be done.

“Obviously I was a little scared going into the ER with something like this and the doctor saying I had to get surgery,” Murphy added. “When you hear collapsed lung it’s much scarier than what it is in reality. Thank God for modern medicine.”

But Murphy had to decide if he’d opt into a second operation to prevent a recurrence, recommended if he’d be flying in airplanes in the near future. Airplanes are a second home for a major league player. So Murphy chose peace of mind over risk.

“We decided to go with that because of how much we fly,” he said. “For my own peace of mind, I decided to get the surgery to just not be worried every time the plane takes off.

“We went back and forth on whether or not we would get this optional one. We decided that peace of mind was a little more valuable.”

Will Murphy be back behind the plate soon? The A’s will have to slow their roll a bit. Though he’s on schedule to start opening day on April 1, he could have a limited workload to start the season and isn’t expected to get playing time until the latter half of the Cactus League schedule.

“We’re still at the same timetable for him to be ready to start the season,” Melvin said. “At the time, it was shocking to me. It just felt, obviously, a lot bigger than baseball. Next thing you know, he’s driving down here trying to get ready for the season. It’s nice to be young.”

Murphy is young, but essential as he established himself as a top-tier defensive catcher his rookie year. He had a .821 OPS as one of the team’s breakout hitters last year, too. At least he’s making strides to a return.

“It’s more relief as I’m starting to feel much better,” Murphy said. “Couple weeks ago, I felt terrible recovering from surgery and I think I feel really well now. Certain things have turned around. I feel great moving. Obviously, I want to be out there, and there’s frustration. But at this point, it’s more relief that I feel so good.”

Some injuries and other notes

Rule 5 draftee Ka’ai Tom, who could another key platoon piece in the outfield, is dealing with a nagging oblique and has been off the field thus far. He could miss the first week of Cactus League games.

The A’s open the exhibition schedule Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Melvin says not to expect any of the typical starters — Jesús Luzardo, Mike Fiers, Sean Manaea, A.J. Puk, Chris Bassitt — on the mound for the first few games. Frankie Montas is still out dealing with COVID-19.

In other moves: The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired outfielder Dustin Fowler, designated for assignment by the A’s this week, for cash.