When the Los Angeles Dodgers announced their 30-man Opening Day roster, Gavin Lux was a surprise omission from the group. Though by that same token he arrived late to Summer Camp for undisclosed reasons, and upon reporting to Dodger Stadium on July 10, never quite found his footing.
Lux was confident of not being too far off in terms of preparation for the 2020 season, but the Dodgers nonetheless optioned him to their alternate training site at USC. The club was hopeful the 22-year-old would benefit with receiving additional reps in a low-pressure environment.
Having logged a multitude of at-bats in the past week, Lux could nearing a return to the Majors. “He’s taking live at-bats every day, he’s getting closer,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
“Robert (Van Scoyoc) is in lockstep with him and our hitting coach over there. We’re getting reports every day, video. He’s coming. There’s a lot of parts to his swing, but from what I hear it’s improved.
“Not quite there yet, but Gavin is working very hard. He’s facing our guys, pitching at the SC site. They’re doing intrasquad games or simulations, so he’s taking real at-bats.”
After splitting time with Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City last year, Lux made his MLB debut and appeared in 23 games for the Dodgers. He went on to be included on the club’s National League Division Series roster and hit a home run in his first postseason at-bat.
Prior to being demoted, Lux was viewed as the favorite to win the Dodgers’ starting second base job in Spring Training. He was also a prime candidate to earn 2020 NL Rookie of the Year honors.
Dodgers relying on committee at second base
With Lux being excluded from the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster, Kiké Hernandez has received the majority of the starts at second base thus far. Through the club’s first 12 games of the season, he has lined up at the position on eight occasions.
Max Muncy (four appearances) and Chris Taylor (two) have also seen time at second base.
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