Dave Roberts Noncommittal on Gavin Lux Starting at Shortstop for Dodgers on Opening Day

The Dodgers’ starting shortstop on Opening Day may not be as foregone a conclusion as we thought.

With Gavin Lux’s recent struggles defensively, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts declined to name him the team’s Opening Day shortstop Thursday, 13 days before the regular season begins.

When asked if Lux would be the team’s shortstop come Opening Day, Roberts had a simple answer to reporters, including Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic: “I don’t know.”

While he didn’t say Lux wouldn’t be the team’s starting shortstop, he also made it clear that performance matters and the Dodgers will do what’s best for the team.

“The No. 1 goal for us to win baseball games,” Roberts said. “So whatever we have to do … is going to be in the best interest of winning.”

He added: “Performance is paramount at this level… I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

This is a sudden change for the Dodgers, who have been adamant about Lux being the team’s starting shortstop all offseason.

Lux, who missed all of 2023 with a torn ACL, was finally going to get his opportunity to play shortstop for the Dodgers, something he called every baseball player’s dream.

However, the early returns on Lux haven’t exactly exuded confidence in the Dodgers’ staffers. Lux bounced the first throw he made to first base in an exhibition game on Feb. 28. He bounced the next one day later. Both of his throws to first base in Wednesday’s win over the Chicago White Sox were in the dirt.

And arm strength isn’t exactly a new issue.

In 2022, Lux ranked in the eighth percentile among all MLB shortstops in arm strength at 76.1, per Baseball Savant. It was one of the reasons he made more sense for the Dodgers as a second baseman rather than a shortstop, who must make much longer throws to first base.

With Corey Seager and Trea Turner gone, and the torn ACL behind him, this was supposed to be the year Lux finally took the reins.

Now, the Dodgers are making it clear there are no guarantees. Roberts said Wednesday he was still confident in Lux’s ability to figure things out with more repetitions.

Lux isn’t in the lineup Thursday, but he’ll likely get plenty more opportunities over the next week to play shortstop before the team heads to Korea. Even if he’s not starting in Seoul, he’ll have another week to improve before the Dodgers’ first home game on March 28.

If Lux isn’t the Dodgers’ Opening Day shortstop, they could utilize any one of Miguel Rojas, Chris Taylor or Kiké Hernández at the position. Lux could also return to second base and swap spots with Mookie Betts, who started 16 games at shortstop last year.

Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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