DETROIT — Jed Lowrie should be able to take batting practice when the team returns to Fenway Park this weekend, bringing his return to the field from wrist surgery ever closer.

“That would be awesome, to get back out there and take BP,” said Lowrie. “I think that’s a legitimate goal to shoot for, and if everything goes well, hopefully you’ll see me out there taking BP when we get back.”

Lowrie is still likely a few weeks away from returning, and his presence will either clear up, or further muddle, the Red Sox’ shortstop situation. The position is currently a timeshare between Nick Green and Julio Lugo. Lowrie underwent surgery to remove a bone in his wrist in late April. The wrist problem has plagued him since last year, and he aggravated it in the first days of this season.

Lowrie hit balls flipped in overhand from a coach on Wednesday, a slightly more difficult action than the normal underhand flips he’s been taking. Manager Terry Francona said the switch-hitting Lowrie took 30 swings from each side of the plate, and then sets of 10.

“He looked terrific,” Francona said.

On Thursday, the all-important strength of his left-handed grip will be tested. Then, hopefully, he’ll be in the cage, swinging at batting-practice balls on the Fenway field. In a recovery full of baby steps, this is a big milestone.

“They’re all steps in the right direction, but actually getting to hit, when someone is throwing the ball, is a big step,” Lowrie said.

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Quietly, Hideki Okajima has piled up one scoreless inning after another, throwing one more Tuesday night to extend his streak to 15 2/3 innings without giving up a run. That put him ahead of teammate Ramon Ramirez’s 15-inning streak for the longest by a Boston pitcher this year — and gave him the longest active streak in the majors.

It’s representative of what the bullpen as a whole has been doing all season: quietly racking up out after out and rarely giving up a run.

The team can run out a succession of right-handers in Ramirez, Manny Delcarmen, Daniel Bard, Justin Masterson, Jonathan Papelbon and Takashi Saito, and its only lefty, Okajima.  Many of the pitchers offer varying styles and speeds, helping to compensate for the predominance of right-handers.

“We’re very fortunate in what we have in our bullpen,” said Francona. “We have guys who complement each other, on top of the fact that they’re good. Different styles, and it’s worked out really well.”

Boston’s bullpen ERA leads the majors, entering Wednesday night’s game at 2.89. In the last 21 games prior to Wednesday, the pen boasted a 2.02 ERA.

Papelbon is the closer, clearly, but beyond that the pitchers are used in varying situations. Many of the pitchers have late-game experience, but have swallowed their egos for the good of the team, and Francona said they have done it willingly.

“They’ve taken the ball when we’ve given it to them and not said anything. I think they’re smart enough to know that if we win, and they’re putting up zeroes, we’ll all be happy,” Francona said.

dbarbari@projo.com