FORT MYERS, Fla. — Thus arrived the first day of the rest of Mike Lowell’s career.

On Monday, Lowell played in a game for the first time since undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb in December. His three innings of work in a Grapefruit League game against the Orioles (an 8-4 Baltimore win) hardly would have turned heads in their own right.

Lowell went 1-for-2, dumping a single to shallow right in the first inning and later flying lazily to medium-depth right-center field. His time at first base — his first contest at the position since playing four games there as a minor leaguer in 1998 — went without incident before he was replaced by Aaron Bates in the top of the fourth inning.

“It was nice to get him in there,” Sox manager Terry Francona said. “He got to run the bases. He got to play a little first base. He just hasn’t been in a game for a while.”

Yet that matter-of-fact synopsis failed to capture the significance of Lowell’s participation in Monday’s contest. With the start of game activity, so began in earnest the process of figuring out the value of the 36-year-old in 2010, whether to the Red Sox or other clubs.

Lowell, of course, had been all but shipped to Texas by the Sox this offseason. The two teams agreed in principle to a deal at the Winter Meetings that would have sent Lowell to the Rangers in exchange for prospect Max Ramirez, with the Sox picking up $9 million of the $12 million owed to the infielder.

The surgery not only unraveled the deal with the Rangers, but also scared away other potential suitors. One major league executive, for instance, said that his club had briefly considered whether Lowell might represent a fit for his club during the offseason. However, that team felt that it had to turn elsewhere because until it saw Lowell in a game, it could not determine whether his health and defense would make him valuable to the club. If the club waited to make such an assessment, it might miss out on appealing free agent alternatives. 

Now, teams with unsettled roster spots can start the process of figuring out whether they might want to make a play for Lowell. As injuries inevitably crop up over the course of spring training, other clubs who develop a need for a corner infielder can gauge whether the former World Series MVP could be a solution.

That helps to explain the immediate interest of scouts in Lowell’s performance on Monday. In theory, the four-time All-Star could be a fit for teams in search of a first baseman, third baseman or designated hitter (or a combination of all three, a hybrid role for which the Sox envision him).

His track record suggests a player of tremendous offensive consistency. In three out of his four seasons with the Sox, his average has been between .274 and .290, his OBP between .337 and .339, his slugging ranging from .461 to .475 and his OPS varying between .798 and .814. In other words, with the exception of his outstanding 2007 season that seemed to represent something of an aberration, Lowell has been remarkably consistent.

But evaluators have wanted to see whether his thumb will permit him to live up to those levels, and whether another offseason of recovery for his hip will help him to restore his defense. Games will begin to tell what kind of impact Lowell can make in such roles. As such, Lowell is being carefully monitored by both the Sox and other clubs that are looking for a read on how well he can still perform.

An AL scout noted after Monday's game that it was a good sign that Lowell was able to stay with a slider away — a pitch that many right-handers will roll over to the left side of the infield — and dump it into right for a single. An NL evaluator, meanwhile, suggested that any assessment of Lowell would have to wait until he had more at-bats and had appeared back at third base.

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Even so, that Lowell’s first day at first in more than a decade came and went without incident was at least somewhat noteworthy. Starting pitcher Tim Wakefield acknowledged that it was a bit odd seeing the longtime third baseman on the opposite side of the diamond from his customary position.

That unusual sight notwithstanding, however, the knuckleballer also suggested that his teammate appeared comfortable at the position. That only reinforced Wakefield’s sense that the Sox are better off with Lowell still on the club than they would have been by dealing him this offseason.

“He’s been as professional as anyone I’ve ever played with. He’s been a great leader in the clubhouse. He’s been a great friend off the field with me. He’s just a tremendous guy,” Wakefield gushed. “To see him battle injuries the last couple of years has been difficult to watch. But he’s a gamer. He’s going to go out there and give you 125 percent every single night. Knowing that, having him out there, whether it’s at first base or whatever his role might be this year, I’m glad that he’s still with us.”

Yet the situation in which Lowell remains with the Sox is an awkward one. He does have value to the team, giving them potentially a very good backup to corner infielders Kevin Youkilis and Adrian Beltre (albeit one who, like Youkilis and Beltre, is right-handed) and a right-handed bat who can spell David Ortiz against lefties.

In such a role, Lowell would have value. At the same time, he has made no secret of the fact that he feels healthier this year than he did in 2009, and that he consequently wants to play more than he did last year.

Accordingly, there remains a bit of awkwardness surrounding Lowell’s existence this spring. The reality is that he may end up staying in Boston, whether he wants to or not.

He has value to the Sox – perhaps more value than the team would receive should it deal Lowell, especially because there is no obvious big-league-ready alternative to back up the corner infielders in the organization. Whereas the Sox might have been able to acquire another player to handle such a role during the offseason, there might not be a better alternative to Lowell who remains available. That being the case, he could end up sticking with a team that seemed more than willing to part with him.

“It’s not fun to be in his situation. On the other hand, you look at it as a business deal. It sucks sometimes. It really does. But we don’t make those decisions around the club, and we have to live by what decisions are made and make the best of it,” said Wakefield. “From a personal standpoint, for me, I’m glad he didn’t get traded to Texas this offseason because by far he’s the most professional guy I’ve played with and he’s been a tremendous teammate and a leader in this clubhouse. That’s something that would have been sorely missed if he had gotten traded.”

Yet there still may be time for Lowell to position himself to be dealt. Time — and games — will tell.

Lowell is slated to play another game on Tuesday night, a split squad contest against the Tampa Bay Rays in Port Charlotte. It will represent one more piece of evidence in getting a clearer picture of how — and where — Lowell might contribute in the majors in 2010.