The Los Angeles Dodgers have been without Gavin Lux for more than two weeks as he dealt with neck discomfort, but the starting second baseman appears to have the injury issue in the rearview mirror.
Lux first missed a game on Sept. 2 and received a cortisone injection to help relieve the pain. He has recently been taking at-bats against a pitching machine and participated in a simulated game against Yency Almonte.
After taking those at-bats, the 24-year-old is feeling healthy and he is ready to return to the Dodgers lineup on Saturday against the San Francisco Giants, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group
Roberts said Lux will start at second base on Saturday, his first game action with the Dodgers since Sept. 1 due to a neck/upper back injury.
Lux first dealt with neck pain in late August that caused him to miss four games before he returned to the lineup. Although the issue came back, the Dodgers decided against putting him on the IL because of the expanded 28-man rosters and their hope it would be a short-term injury.
The Dodgers have primarily relied on Chris Taylor at second base while Lux has been out, but Mookie Betts and Hanser Alberto have also seen some time at the position. With Lux set to return, Taylor will likely find himself back in a utility role and make more starts in the outfield.
The Dodgers lineup has continued to produce without Lux, but it gets that much deeper with a starter returning who is hitting .293/.368/.428 with six home runs, 42 RBI, a .350 wOBA and 127 wRC+ over a career-high 115 games.
Dave Roberts sees Gavin Lux as ‘Freddie Freeman lite’
After struggling at various points over the past two seasons, Lux has enjoyed a career year and since the All-Star break, he is batting .294/.366/.459 with 11 extra-base hits and 20 RBI in 33 games.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believes Lux has taken the next step in his career and credited Freddie Freeman for providing mentorship to the former top prospect.
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