By BRENDAN MCGAIR

Sports writer

PAWTUCKET – Judging by the vast array of baseball activities that Jed Lowrie participated in on Thursday, the beleaguered shortstop is on the cusp of resuming his rehab assignment with the Pawtucket Red Sox.
Lowrie’s busy day consisted of running, throwing and taking some swings indoors, all designed to test out his problematic left knee. He speculated he could resurface with the PawSox, most likely as the club’s designated hitter, as soon as tonight. Those plans hinge on how Lowrie feels when wakes up this morning.
“Hopefully (this evening),” said an optimistic Lowrie, who wasn’t sporting a bandage, which he was doing so earlier in the week. “I went out to run to see how (the knee) feels. Hopefully it responds well, and the only way I’ll be able to tell is when I wake up.”
Lowrie’s rehab has been on hold since Sunday, when he was removed in the fifth inning after two at-bats. The bruised knee served as the culprit, an ailment that stems from getting plunked with a pitch on June 23 in Norfolk.
“With something like this, you can only take so much,” said Lowrie. “All I can do is come in every day and hope it gets better. I’m just trying to get myself back in the lineup.”
The knee setback has pushed aside the primary reason why Lowrie is here in the first place. The 2005 supplemental first round selection came to Pawtucket with a firm purpose of testing out his surgically-repaired left wrist. Lowrie underwent surgery on April 21 after starting the season with Boston.
“The wrist isn’t even being mentioned. It’s not even in the scope of things right now,” said Lowrie, who batted .056 (1-for-18) with the Red Sox before going under the knife. “I think that’s one of the most frustrating parts, trying to balance the two (ailments).
“The knee is a short term thing, but it’s holding me back from playing,” continued Lowrie. “The only way that my wrist is going to get better is if I play. I’m in a Catch-22 where one injury is holding me back from getting the other one better.”
Asked if his patience has been tested through this ordeal, Lowrie responded, “I think that would be the understatement of the year. I’ve been as diligent and as hard working as I can be.”
Lowrie spent Wednesday in Boston, getting examined by team physical therapist Scott Waugh. “He apparently sees this type of (knee) injury all the same. He said it looked nasty and asked if I had been playing hockey,” said Lowrie, mustering a chuckle. “He told me to keep going day by day and see how it feels and reacts.”
The stifling of Lowrie’s rehab means in all likelihood he won’t be cleared to return to Boston until sometime after the All-Star break.
“If I can play, I’ll be out there. This is not a matter of me milking this or trying to sit around,” Lowrie said. “I’m trying to rehab my leg without hurting my wrist.”