A brutal blow for the up-and-coming shortstop
The 2023 Major League Baseball season was over before it started for Gavin Lux.
The upcoming campaign had a chance to be a breakout season for Lux, who was in line to take over as the Dodgers’ starting shortstop after sitting behind All-Stars Corey Seager and Trea Turner in recent seasons. The 25-year-old now will have to wait another year to provide his worth as an everyday starter, as Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts on Tuesday confirmed Lux will miss the entire 2023 season due to a torn ACL.
Lux injured his knee Monday during the Dodgers’ spring training game against the Padres in Arizona. Running from second to third base, Lux stumbled and buckled his knee as he tried to evade a throw from San Diego third baseman Jantzen Witte. Roberts, per ESPN, said Lux “heard something pop” and needed to be carted off the field.
With Lux out of the equation, Miguel Rojas is expected to receive the lion’s share of work at shortstop for the Dodgers this season. Rojas, who broke into the big leagues with LA back in 2014, was brought back to the Dodgers in January through a trade with the Miami Marlins.
Lux, the 20th overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, is under team control through the 2026 season.