With a healed knee, Lux ready to take over short

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Gavin Lux has grown used to waiting and being patient since becoming a big leaguer in 2019.

Despite being one of the game’s top prospects coming through the Minors, Lux has been waiting for his turn to shine for years. In 2021, Lux had to wait to play shortstop as Corey Seager handled the position.

In 2022, Lux had to stay at second base while Trea Turner took over responsibility at short. Lux appreciated the opportunity to play behind and learn from two of the best shortstops in the Majors. But there’s the difficulty of waiting for his turn, the one thing he has dreamt of since getting drafted in the first round in 2016: Being the Dodgers’ starting shortstop.

With Seager and Turner playing elsewhere entering 2023, it finally appeared to be Lux’s turn. He worked all offseason at Dodger Stadium, putting on close to 15 pounds of muscle in the process. Lux was ready to take the next step and prove he was the right man for the job.

Just two weeks into Spring Training, however, that opportunity was taken away. As Lux rounded second and headed for third, he ducked out of the way of a throw. His cleat got stuck in the dirt and his knee gave out. A season that looked promising ended on Feb. 27 with a torn ACL, MCL and significant damage to his right hamstring.

“It was tough,” Lux said. “That was really the first time I’ve had to do that. I found myself sitting on the couch a lot, not doing a whole lot, playing a lot of video games. It was tough. But it’s good at the same time. It gave me a different perspective. You get it taken away, it kind of makes you appreciate the game even more than you did.”

Lux has grown to appreciate the difficulties and challenges that have come his way. It hasn’t always been easy, however. In 2021, Lux was sent down to the Minors as he struggled at the plate, seemingly for the first time in his life. He was irate in that particular moment.

Once he went to the Minors, the Dodgers began experimenting with him in center field, a position he had never played before, in hopes of getting him back to the Majors at some point that season.

All of those experiences prepared Lux for the lowest point of his career last season. It helped Lux continue believing that he should be the starting shortstop on a Dodgers squad that is widely considered a Super Team.

“To have such expectations for a year and then it gets taken from you in one baseball play is tough, certainly for a young player,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “So to have a great winter, and then to come in and now you’re a big part of this again, I know he’s got a different energy to him.”

Before the start of this year's spring camp, Lux was fully cleared by Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Lux had been wearing a big knee brace throughout his rehab, but he is now sporting a much more comfortable sleeve. On the field, Lux says he feels strong and ready to contribute. Defensively, he has checked all the boxes during workouts at Dodger Stadium over the winter. This spring, it will be interesting to see how it all translates into game action.

“The last three months I’ve been out here taking ground balls. It feels good,” Lux said. “I grew up playing shortstop. … Flipping back to that side where I grew up playing and have a lot of game reps is kind of second nature for me.”

The final hurdle Lux will have to check off is playing in games. Physically, Lux feels ready to go. Mentally, it’ll still be good for him to round the bases and fully trust his knee. Once Lux does that in a few weeks, he expects to be full go. Finally, he hopes all the waiting will pay off.

“I would have given anything to be dead tired and go out there and play in a game where maybe years before you’re tired and thinking, ‘I’ve got to grind through this one,’” Lux said. “I would have given anything to have that. The perspective thing was really big for me.”