GLENDALE, Ariz. — Gavin Lux will not be playing shortstop – or any other position – for the Dodgers in 2023.
Lux suffered tears to the anterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament when he stumbled while running the bases during Monday’s Cactus League game against the San Diego Padres. He will have surgery and miss the entire season.
“Gavin is obviously crushed,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday morning at Camelback Ranch. “It’s a huge blow, my heart just goes out to him.”
Lux was at the facility Tuesday morning, moving around on crutches. Dr. Neal ElAttrache will perform the knee surgery March 7 in Los Angeles.
Once the top-rated prospect in baseball as he progressed through the Dodgers’ system, Lux was asked to play second base for the Dodgers with first Corey Seager and then Trea Turner at shortstop. When Turner left via free agency this past winter, the Dodgers planned to move Lux back to his original position and make him their everyday shortstop.
Miguel Rojas will replace Lux as the primary shortstop. An exceptional defender, Rojas was acquired in a trade with the Miami Marlins this winter. Rojas had been the Marlins’ everyday shortstop the past four seasons but was slated to play a utility role for the Dodgers.
“For me, the first thing that I felt was really pain for Gavin,” Rojas said. “A young kid that has been working his ass off to get ready for the season to be the everyday shortstop for this team. He’s a big part of this club. I just feel bad for him that he has to go through whatever he’s going to have to go through.
“What it means for me is what I’ve been preparing for. I’ve been playing shortstop every day for the last four or five years of my career. I went into the offseason thinking I was going to have to prepare for 162 games and here it is.”
Rojas, 34, is an improvement over Lux defensively at shortstop, but he does not offer as much on the offensive side. The 25-year-old Lux…
Read the full article here
