Gavin Lux was getting set for the biggest year of his young career. The former top prospect was finally getting his opportunity to be the starting shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers, something he had patiently waited his turn for.
Lux was drafted as a shortstop, and came up through the system as a shortstop. However, when he made his major league debut in 2019, Corey Seager was already there.
Lux ended up spending some time at second base and the outfield, only getting reps at shortstop when Seager got hurt in 2021.
Then, Seager left after the 2021 season, which would have opened the door for Lux. However, the team had already traded for Trea Turner, and he was under contract through 2022. So, another year of Lux at second base.
Finally, with Turner and Seager gone, this was Lux’s year. The Dodgers sat out of the bidding for the top free agent shortstops, putting their full faith in Lux to take over.
But one bad step ended it all.
During spring training, Lux was running to third base on a routine play. The third baseman was throwing to second, and Lux tried to get out of the way. However, he took a bad step, tore his ACL and his 2023 season was over before it began.
Lux was with the team on Opening Day, and recently has been able to join them in the dugout once he got off crutches. However, this has been a rough couple months for him knowing he can only sit back and watch for a full season (per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register).
“Obviously I want to be out there,” Lux said. “It doesn’t suck watching – but it kind of sucks because you want to be out there playing but you can’t. So it’s almost like torture a little bit. But being able to offer some support, talk to guys about their at-bats – to be engaged, keep your baseball mind working, I’ve still got to do it.”
Lux is doing his best to remain engaged, but it’s hard knowing he has to go through another full season and offseason before he can get back on the field in a game.
But the Dodgers still seem to envision Lux as the long-term option at shortstop, and he’s going to be ready come spring training next year. Then, he’ll finally get to live out his dream of being the Dodgers’ starting shortstop.
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