With Super Bowl 58 now complete, all attention turns to MLB as Spring Training for all clubs begins in the coming days. For the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitchers and catchers have been in camp since last week due to their early report date.
They were joined at Camelback Ranch by some position players, most notably Shohei Ohtani as he recovers from elbow surgery.
The Dodgers are scheduled to hold their first full-squad workout of Spring Training on Wednesday, and have their Cactus League opener on February 22.
Gavin Lux was also among the Dodgers position players who reported early to camp, ensuring he’d have a solid runway to prepare for the season, and he has no restrictions after getting fully cleared medically, per Juan Toribio of MLB.com:
Lux is one of a handful of position players who arrived at Camelback Ranch a week early for workouts. The 26-year-old met with Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Thursday and was fully cleared for all baseball activities. Lux will also not have to wear the knee brace he has been sporting all offseason.
Lux is on track to be a substantial piece of the infield, after suffering a torn ACL and LCL in his right knee last spring. The 26-year-old recently mentioned he’s overcome a lot of the mental and physical hurdles that followed surgery and lingered during some of the prolonged rehab process.
The promising outlook for Lux is a likely driver in the Dodgers front office refraining from bringing in a shortstop during the offseason.
Lux’s last season played came in 2022 when he batted .276/.346/.399 with 33 extra-base hits over 129 games.
Lux provides the Dodgers with a speed element that they’ve sorely missed and spark plug at the bottom of their lineup. The majority of his playing time will come at shortstop, with Miguel Rojas providing necessary days off.
What workload will Gavin Lux have in 2024?
Lux, seeming to have little to no restrictions heading into the year, giving him every opportunity to establish himself as the Dodgers’ starting shortstop.
Prior to injuring his knee, Lux was poised for a breakout season in 2023. His best work came from the bottom of the Dodgers lineup, mainly in the eighth or ninth spots.
Acting as a second leadoff hitter, Lux provided the Dodgers with more RBI opportunities at the top of the lineup, which will be at the benefit of Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.
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