‘It’s a huge blow.’ Gavin Lux tears right ACL and is expected to miss 2023 season
The Dodgers are in need of a new shortstop. Again.
Gavin Lux has suffered a torn ACL in his right knee that is expected to keep him out for the entire season, manager Dave Roberts announced Tuesday morning.
Lux is scheduled to have surgery on March 7, which will be performed by head team physician, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, per a team official. In addition to the torn ACL, Lux also sprained his LCL, according to the team. Roberts said the initial estimate is Lux’s recovery will likely take eight months.
“Gavin is obviously crushed,” Roberts said. “It’s a huge blow.”
“It’s heartbreaking, you know,” Lux added, fighting back tears while leaning on crutches at the team’s Camelback Ranch spring training facility. “The hardest part is just not being able to be on the field, for sure.”
The news came a day after Lux sustained his injury, when his knee buckled while he was running the bases in a spring training game against the San Diego Padres.
“I felt it kind of pop right away and the outside of my leg kind of went numb,” Lux said. “I figured something wasn’t right. I’ve strained stuff before, pulled stuff. That definitely felt different. So I kind of knew right away.”
Lux confirmed he had been trying to duck a throw from a Padres infielder when his cleat got caught in the dirt and sent him tumbling to the ground.
He joked that, “In hindsight, I probably should have taken the throw to the nose and worn it.”
Moments later, though, the 25-year-old former first round pick got choked up again.
“Every baseball player’s dream is to play shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers,” Lux said. “So yeah, that’s one of the hardest parts.”
The moment Lux clutched at his right leg Monday, it was clear the Dodgers’ infield plans were about to be significantly altered.
Dodgers shortstop Gavin Lux hurt his right knee running in a spring training game Monday. The team does not know the extent of the injury yet.
After losing last year’s starter, Trea Turner, in free agency, and not signing any of the other big names on the market this winter, the Dodgers were planning to have Lux man the position this year, hopeful the former top prospect could fulfill his potential at his natural defensive position.
Instead, an MRI exam on Monday night confirmed not only Lux’s worst nightmares, but also those of the team.
“He’s been working his ass off every day to be ready for the season, to be the everyday shortstop for this team,” infielder Miguel Rojas said. “I just feel bad for him.”
Without Lux, Rojas will likely “take on the brunt” of playing time at shortstop, Roberts said, sliding into a role the team hadn’t originally envisioned for the 34-year-old when they acquired him from the Miami Marlins last month.
Rojas is an experienced major league shortstop with a strong record on defense. His bat, however, has been in decline over the last couple of seasons, including a .236 average last year while he was hampered by right hand and wrist ailments (he had two offseason surgeries to address the injuries).
“It’s unfortunate what happened to Luxy,” said Rojas, who texted encouragement to Lux as soon as he saw video of his injury Monday. “But if that means me playing shortstop, that’s what I need to do. I prepared for this opportunity. I need to be ready for it.”
Roberts voiced confidence in Rojas on Tuesday morning, emphasizing his ability in the field and noting that “it’s not gonna be his job to carry us offensively.”
First baseman Freddie Freeman, who seemed visibly shaken while discussing Lux’s injury Tuesday, maintained optimism in the team’s to overcome the setback, as well.
“We’re going to miss Gavin. It’s a left-handed bat that I thought was going to be hitting close to .300 all year for us, and I truly believe in the potential that he has,” Freeman said. “But we’ve got veteran guys that can take the reins ... We’ve got Miguel Rojas who’s been doing this for a long time. We’ll be just fine.”
Still, even if Rojas proves capable as Lux’s replacement, the ensuing roster shuffle could have other complicating knock-on effects.
Without another obvious backup infielder ready to play full time in the big leagues, the Dodgers will likely have Chris Taylor and Mookie Betts play more shortstop and second base, respectively.
As a result, fellow outfielders David Peralta, Trayce Thompson and Jason Heyward could be forced into more regular playing time than initially anticipated.
The Dodgers could also explore external options before the start of the season — either in free agency, where Jurickson Profar and José Iglesias are two of the more established remaining unsigned players; or on the trade market, where the club could target a shortstop such as Willy Adames, but would likely have to pay an inflated preseason price from a position of low leverage.
Roberts said the Dodgers are “always trying to get better, whether it’s internally or externally” when asked about the possibility of the team making another major league addition. But he said he didn’t think it was an absolute necessity in the wake of Lux’s injury.
“It cuts into [our depth],” he said. “But to have a guy play a premium position and that we trust as a defender first and foremost in Miguel Rojas, that’s huge.”
Still, there was a reason Lux was expected to be a key cog in the Dodgers 2023 team.
Playing second base last year, he impressed with a .276 average and power numbers that improved as the year went on.
The Dodgers were hoping his development would continue, potentially helping to soften the blow from losing Turner, a critical piece of last year’s 111-win team.
Instead, before the calendar even turned to March, the Dodgers were forced to go back to the drawing board to come up with a new way to bolster their suddenly thinning depth.
That had been tricky enough when all their players were still healthy.
And now, they’ll have to proceed with few obvious or appealing alternatives to try and pursue next.
Cody Bellinger’s career with the Dodgers ended after three straight poor seasons. He signed with the Cubs in December.
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