Theo Epstein was very clear on Friday. He still believes in Jed Lowrie.

But right now, not as the starting shortstop for the Red Sox. That job belongs to 34-year-old Marco Scutaro following Friday’s two-year deal with a dual option for a third that could carry through the 2012 season.

“We still believe in Jed Lowrie,” Epstein said on Friday. “I still believe in Jed Lowrie. He has yet to reach his potential because of some injury issues but we feel the best is yet to come.”

Lowrie has all of a sudden become a different sort of middle man. The man caught in between Marco Scutaro and blue chip Cuban shortstop prospect Jose Iglesias.

Epstein also said that Lowrie met with doctors on Friday to have his surgically repaired left wrist is getting stronger and stronger. Lowrie finished 2008 with a fracture in that same wrist and then tried to play in 2009, only to be forced to shut it down early in the ’09 season and undergo surgery.

Epstein said that Lowrie should be a go for spring training and expects him to fight hard for a utility infield position on the 2010 Red Sox.

Other tidbits from Friday:

Epstein said he expects the replacement for Amateur Scouting Director Jason McLeod to come from outside the organization.

“We’ll probably try to promote from within,” Epstein said. “It’s more likely that [the replacement] will come internally.”

Asked if he expects the replacement process to impede the planning process for the June 2010 draft, Epstein said, ‘No. We’ll be clicking on all cylinders by that time.”

The team also sent medical staff to check in on Mike Lowell this week. Epstein indicated that the team was told it usually takes a year-and-a-half for a player to get back to full speed and that’s where Lowell should be this spring following hip labrum surgery following the 2008 season.

Epstein said J.D. Drew is right on track to be at full speed following a procedure to clean out the AC joint in his left shoulder following the season. It is not the same shoulder the Red Sox protected themselves against when they inked Drew to a five-year, $70 million deal prior to the 2007 season.

Epstein said there is ‘nothing specific’ to report in the talks with Jason Bay’s agent.

The priorities for the Red Sox at the Winter Meetings are likely to include starting pitching, bullpen depth and bench depth with Epstein indicating the team would be ‘open-minded’ about a high-impact free agent.

“We still have a lot of moves to make,” Epstein said, before adding “This [signing Scutaro] is significant.”

The meetings start next week in Indianapolis.