NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The greatest test of Brandon Lowe’s fractured right kneecap came not on a baseball field or in a gym. It was in Switzerland, between his hotel and a train station.

Lowe and his wife, Madison, took a two-week European vacation to Italy and Switzerland last month. They were about to board a train in Switzerland when Lowe realized he’d picked up the wrong ticket from their hotel room. Needing to cover the half-mile between the two locations and back -- and fast -- Lowe completed his round-trip mile run in time to ride the rails.

“I made it,” Lowe said Monday, smiling. “Knee felt great. Lungs hurt a little bit.”

Lowe said he didn’t even think about his knee until he was seated on the train. Then he realized it was the first time he’d run since fouling a pitch off his right kneecap in the seventh inning on Sept. 21, which resulted in a right patella fracture that frustratingly ended his season early. And he was pain-free, setting him on track for a mostly normal offseason.

Lowe said he has been working out with no restrictions and is scheduled to start swinging a bat next week. He ditched his crutches after one day in a straight knee brace and didn’t require surgery to help the bone heal. But he took a little extra time off from workouts to start the offseason while he was completing his rehabilitation.

“Just a very strange, strange break and strange situation,” Lowe said. “Just wanted to make sure that nothing could happen to it, and then as soon as I got the strength back after the initial shock toward all the muscles, they took the brace off and I was good.”

Having Lowe healthy would be a welcome development for the Rays next season. The 29-year-old second baseman was limited to 109 games and struggled a bit early on as he continued to play through a lingering back issue. Between his July 4 return and his season-ending injury, though, Lowe hit more like himself, slashing .254/.353/.483 with 12 homers and 39 RBIs in 59 games.

In the meantime, Lowe is like any other baseball fan this week: eager to see what comes out of the Winter Meetings. He, Madison and their son, Emmett, made the short trip from their offseason home in the area Monday and met up with Lowe’s agency at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Resort. Lowe made an appearance on MLB Network, met with the front office and, of course, wondered where Shohei Ohtani might wind up.

“Ready to see if there's any moves. I don't know if anything's going to happen for us this Winter Meetings, but there are some pretty big-name free agents, you could say, that have a chance to sign somewhere,” Lowe said. “You kind of get to see what it's all about.”

• Our story from Day 1 of the Winter Meetings, where the Rays are listening to trade offers for Tyler Glasnow and others. Read more>> 

• Jim Leyland was elected to the Hall of Fame. Former Tampa Bay manager Lou Piniella fell just one vote shy of the honor. Read more>>

• Here is one Winter Meetings goal for each team. Read more>>

• GM Ross Atkins’ whereabouts led to some intrigue regarding the Blue Jays’ pursuit of Ohtani. Read more>>

• The Yankees have a big prize of their own in mind: Juan Soto. Read more>>

“We have been an organization that's been willing to make trades over time when we felt it was best for us and the other team felt it was best for them. So I think that combination and winning the games we have, yeah, it's going to generate some activity. And I think because we're willing to at least listen, all the much more so.

“But that doesn't mean we're in a position where we have to do anything or need to do anything. We're going to let it play out and see where it takes us. … There's not a whole lot of room to think about much of anything [in terms of additions to the roster] with the group we have -- and that's perfectly OK.”

-- President of baseball operations Erik Neander, on Day 1 of the Winter Meetings

Last week, the Rays announced that single-game tickets for next season will go on sale in the MLB Ballpark app and at RaysBaseball.com on Thursday at 10 a.m. ET. The club also announced the return of $10 tickets, which will be available for every game at Tropicana Field in 2024.

Rays season-ticket holders, Spring Training season-ticket holders, corporate partners and Rays Insider email newsletter subscribers can participate in special online presales.

The Rays also announced game times for next season, with weekday night games now set to start at 6:50 p.m. The majority of weekday day games will start at 1:10 p.m., with two set to begin at 12:10 p.m. All Saturday home games will start at 4:10 p.m., with two exceptions: May 4 against the Mets and Aug. 10 against the Orioles, which will begin at times to be determined. Sunday home games will start at 1:40 p.m.

The Winter Meetings Charity Auction, benefitting Stand Up To Cancer in honor of Billy Bean (MLB’s senior vice president of diversity, equity & inclusion) and Catalina Villegas (MLB’s director of diversity, equity & inclusion), is back and live at MLB.com/wintermeetingsauction until Thursday at 10 p.m. ET.

The auction features a number of memorable baseball opportunities, including chances to meet and interact with Major League managers and players, with items and experiences donated by all 30 MLB clubs, Minor League teams, the Commissioner’s Office, MLB Network and the Hall of Fame.

The Rays have three experiences up for bidding: a day with the Rays’ radio booth, a day as the team photographer and a chance to throw a pregame bullpen session before spending time with the Rays’ relievers at Tropicana Field.

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