Gavin Lux ‘Likely’ to Be Dodgers’ Starting Shortstop to Open Season
In 2023 the Los Angeles Dodgers won 100 regular season games, only to be swept in a three-game playoff series.
To help improve the team’s fortunes, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman went out and signed the two biggest free agents, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. A quieter addition to the 2024 squad will be the return of former top prospect Gavin Lux.
In 2023, Gavin Lux was set to take over the starting shortstop duties for the Dodgers. After Corey Seager absconded to Texas and Trea Turner to Philadelphia, the position was Lux’s for the taking. Unfortunately, the season ended before it even started for him after he suffered an ACL tear during Spring Training.
Now, after rehabbing his knee for the past year, Lux, 26, looks poised again to take the mantle of Dodgers’ shortstop. According to Juan Toribio of MLB.com:
Lux is feeling healthier and has been working out at Dodger Stadium all winter. The key for him this spring will be showing that he can move laterally into the holes to make plays on the surgically repaired knee. It’ll be a big spring for Lux, as the Dodgers will likely go into the season with the 26-year-old as their starting shortstop.
Juan Toribio – MLB.com
For how young Lux is, this moment has been years in the making. Lux flashed brightly on everyone’s radar in 2019 after he won Minor League Player of the Year. He also made his Dodgers debut that season as a September call-up.
The former top prospect struggled his first several years in MLB, hitting .233/.314 /.682 from 2019-21. While also getting used to major league pitching, Lux had to adjust to playing second base while Seager and Turner were entrenched at shortstop.
In 2022, Lux became an integral part of the lineup. Hitting mostly ninth, he slashed .276/.346/.745 and hit an NL-leading seven triples. His bat-to-ball skills showed vast improvement and his speed made him dangerous when he hit a ball into the gap.
Finally healthy, Lux can return to his natural position of shortstop. If he can show improvement at the plate from 2022 and play solid defense, the sky’s the limit.
Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
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Personally I’d like to see the Ds resign Rojas. He may be a small hole in the offense, but with him, Mookie, and Freddie you have 3 of the four best defensive infielders. Get a better defensive 3rd baseman and we would be a dynamite infield to hit against.
go lux go!