Dave Roberts Thinks Max Muncy, Gavin Lux Defense ‘Should Be a Strength’ For Dodgers

Do the Los Angeles Dodgers have concerns in the infield?

Not according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. The Dodgers know they are solid with Freddie Freeman at first base and feel good with Mookie Betts at second base, but there are some uncertainties with Gavin Lux and Max Muncy on the left side of the infield.

However, Roberts feels good about both Lux and Muncy. Lux is coming off a torn ACL and Muncy had some defensive struggles last year, but Roberts believes the two “should be a strength” in 2024.

“Looking at Max, I’ve seen it better, and it needs to get better. I always say it’s easy to bet on certain people, and I feel confident [his defense] will get back to what it was [in 2022].”

— Dave Roberts, via Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.

While Muncy’s Spring Training hit a brief blip due to his hand getting struck by a pitch, he’s back and appears to be off to a good start.

For Lux, there have been some ups and downs through the Cactus League so far. There have been some missed plays at the shortstop position, but Lux is also getting back in his groove after missing all of last season due to his injury.

“With Gavin, the No. 1 thing is you want him to be healthy, and from everything we’ve seen and heard, he is. Now, we’ve just got to get back to playing mode and compete mode. We’ve got to understand that it takes time to get back up to major league speed, and we feel that once the bell rings, he’ll be right where he needs to be.”

— Dave Roberts, via Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.

Undoubtedly, it can take time for Lux to get back to 100 percent at shortstop after that kind of injury. However, if things don’t improve in the infield once the Dodgers are well into the regular season, the clock will be ticking.

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