When the Dodgers decided to move Gavin Lux from shortstop to second base in the middle of spring training, manager Dave Roberts called the move “permanent, for now.”
In an interview with Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain at the Gocheok Sky Dome in South Korea on Saturday, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman offered further clarity, suggesting the position swap is in effect for Lux for at least the rest of 2024.
“Right now we’re still focused on the now. We are very confident that he possesses the abilities coming off a major knee surgery. There’s just more emphasis on how connected your body is, to make the throw from short, and at second it’s easier. It’s less pressure on that. But coming off a major knee injury, we weren’t synced up yet. We didn’t have much time to go before we started. So we did that for now and we’ll evaluate as we get into the offseason next year.”
— Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman
Lux appeared in 10 Cactus League games at shortstop. Although he was only charged with two errors at the position (on 10 chances), he routinely misfired throws to first base.
Some of the same issues cropped up in Lux’s three games at second base, but the team is more confident in the 26-year-old’s ability to adapt to the shorter throwing distance.
Lux did not play in 2023 after tearing two ligaments in his right knee in spring training.
In 2022, his last full season, Lux hit .276 with a .346 on-base percentage and seven triples as the team’s primary number-9 hitter. At least his bat picked up where it left off in spring training; Lux batted .281 with a .343 on-base percentage in 32 at-bats in Cactus League play.
Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
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