With the Los Angeles Dodgers having already given several of their top prospects an opportunity this season, their September roster call-ups are expected to be few and far between. Instead, the Dodgers are anticipating the return of several players from the injured list.
One exception may be Gavin Lux, who began the year with Double-A Tulsa and continued his torrid production after earning a promotion to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Lux’s play has put him on the Dodgers’ radar, with manager Dave Roberts all but guaranteeing he would join the club.
However, Roberts has not committed to Lux receiving a formal call-up for his MLB debut. Instead, Roberts explained, the Dodgers have considered having Lux around the team on an apprenticeship basis like Will Smith held last September.
With rosters expanding on Sunday, Roberts now acknowledged the 21-year-old is garnering consideration to receive playing time with the Dodgers, per Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times:
Dave Roberts said the Dodgers are still strongly contemplating bringing up Gavin Lux to play for them this season — not just in an apprenticeship role.
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) August 31, 2019
Although Lux is a natural shortstop, he’s received steady time at second base. Opportunities to play the other middle infield position came to be after Lux approached the Dodgers about adding to his versatility.
What the Dodgers have cautioned against was promoting Lux only for him to spend the bulk of his time on the bench. That’s also a factor behind the team not planning to aggressively add players to their roster during September.
However, with Max Muncy suffering a minor fracture in his right wrist, there is more of a regular role open at second base. Kiké Hernandez and Chris Taylor are candidates to help fill the void, but the Dodgers also rely on their ability to play multiple positions.
Muncy projected he would be sidelined for at least two weeks but make a full recovery in time for Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Oct. 3. Muncy will at minimum be out until Sunday, Sept. 8, after the Dodgers placed him on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to Aug. 29).
If Lux is to join the Dodgers, it likely would not come until early or the middle of next week. Oklahoma City’s schedule concludes Monday.
