Jed Lowrie had an excellent spring, but is just 1 for 18 in the regular season.

Journal photo / Glenn Osmundson

OAKLAND, Calif. — During spring training, the Red Sox’ Julio Lugo and Jed Lowrie competed for the starting job at shortstop.

Now they are battling to see who will be the first one to return from the disabled list.

Boston placed Lowrie on the 15-day DL Monday afternoon with what is being described as a left-wrist sprain. Lugo has been out since having knee surgery during spring training.

“It never fails. You don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. “We had too many shortstops, then all of a sudden you don’t have any. That’s the way the game is.”

Lowrie, who turns 25 on Friday, played with a non-displaced fracture in his left wrist for the majority of the 2008 season as he split time between Pawtucket and Boston. He arrived at spring training healthy and ready to compete with Lugo for the starting job. After Lugo went down, the job was Lowrie’s.

Francona said it was necessary to put Lowrie on the DL in order to let the wrist heal properly, so the club sent him back to Boston to be examined by the club’s medical staff for a “bunch of tests” in order to be a little more conclusive.

“He showed up [Sunday] and said it was bothering him,” Francona said. “The more we started talking to him and pushing him a little bit, we realized we needed to get this thing checked out. He had such a good spring. When we pushed and prodded a little bit, he said it had started to bother him for the last couple of weeks, but he didn’t say anything to us. On one hand we told him, ‘Hey, you need to let us know.’ But on the other hand, that’s how players are and you respect that.”

After a terrific spring, Lowrie has been struggling at the plate in the first few games of the regular season.

Lugo remains in Fort Myers, continuing his rehab, and is expected to play in a couple of extended spring-training games in the next few days.

“We have to be a little patient,” said Francona.

With both J-Lo and J-Lu on the shelf, the Sox will rely on a combination of Gil Velazquez and Nick Green.

Velazquez, 29, signed with Boston as a minor-league free agent in November 2007 and spent all of last season with the PawSox. He made his major-league debut in September with the Red Sox.

He said Monday that it was a big surprise when he was told he was getting called up. He was told about his promotion after the PawSox completed a 15-inning loss in Buffalo on Sunday. He was up at 4 a.m. Monday morning to catch a cross-country flight from New York.

“It’s been a long day,” he said with a smile. “I’m glad to finally be here. I’m here to help the team out any way I can. My strong point has always been my defense, but the last couple of years I’ve been a little more successful offensively. So I’ll try to help out as much as I can.”

With the club knowing Lowrie could not play, Green made his first start for the Red Sox against the Angels on Sunday. He said you never want to see a teammate hurt and unable to play, but he also knows this is a good opportunity.

“Hopefully he’s all right,” said Green. “Anytime you get a chance to play, you get excited. I don’t know how long I’ll get to play, but I’m excited to play when I can.”

Green, 30, signed with the Sox as a minor-league free agent during the offseason. Prior to this season, he played in 275 games in the big leagues, with the Braves, Rays, Yankees and Mariners.

“I’ve been through this stuff before where everything happens fast, so it’s actually for the better when things happen fast, because you don’t have time to think about things,” he said. “I don’t know the whole situation right now, but I know I’m in the lineup and I’m excited to play.”

When Velazquez arrived in the clubhouse at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, he received handshakes and hugs from his teammates. He’s a well-liked player in the Red Sox clubhouse and made a good impression in September.

“He handled himself professionally,” said Francona. “We knew he would catch the ball, so we brought him up and he handled himself very well. He’s a good kid and he’ll catch the ball wherever we play him. He knows how to play the game and that’s what we’re looking for.”

jmcdonal@projo.com