David Roberts I didn’t mention it Gavin Lux by name when talking about Dodgers infield plans a few weeks ago.
Given the makeup of his squad, he didn’t need to.
When asked on July 3 about the potential of playing Mookie Betts At second base, once Betts returns from a broken hand, Roberts was careful not to make guarantees.
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“I’m going to take as much time as I can (before making a decision),” Roberts said. “Because you have to take into account the people who might be affected.”
Of course, no one was affected as much as Lux. He had played the entire season at second base. And should Betts return as the starter at second base, it seemed like he would be the most likely to miss playing time, given his disappointing numbers in his return from knee surgery last year.
“There’s no point in me talking about that,” Roberts said, “to potentially get into another player’s psyche.”
Roberts may not have mentioned it publicly, but in recent days, Lux has looked like a player motivated to change the narrative, following up a strong showing on Saturday with another standout performance on Sunday that was key for the Dodgers. Victory 9-6 about the Boston Red Sox.
“Obviously, I don’t think it’s been any secret that I’ve struggled a bit this year,” Lux said with a sigh of relief. “So yeah, getting some results and some positive feedback definitely helps.”
In the first inning Sunday, Lux helped the Dodgers erase an early two-run deficit by hitting an RBI double down the left-field line, earning his third straight extra-base hit after a homer and a double in Saturday night’s win.
Three innings later, Lux struck again, hitting an opposite-field home run to left that gave the Dodgers a 4-2 lead en route to their final victory at Dodger Stadium.
“I don’t think it’s really a swing change or anything,” said Lux, whose three-for-four effort overall (he also stole a base) raised his batting average to .225 (matching his highest mark of the year) and his OPS to .609 (his highest at any point this season).
“I’m just trying to be more aggressive and, when I get a decent pitch to hit, put a good swing on it.”
Overall, Lux’s numbers remain disappointing. Two years removed from his breakout 2022 campaign — when he hit .276, had an above-league-average OPS+ and led the NL with seven triples — the 26-year-old has yet to consistently develop into a standout late-in-the-order performer, thanks in large part to the torn ACL he suffered last spring.
At times, Roberts said, Lux has looked too passive at the plate, seemingly protecting his surgically repaired knee with “safe swings” that have taken him the first four months of the season to overcome.
However, there have been signs of late that his form is finally improving.
Since crossing the 150-at-bat threshold on May 31 (the mark Roberts wanted Lux to reach before doing extensive evaluations of his game), the infielder is hitting .250 with six doubles, four homers, 15 RBIs and a .700 OPS in 31 games.
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His defense at second base, the position he returned to this spring after defensive issues at shortstop, has been excellent.
And, even with Betts just weeks away from returning, Lux’s ability to add production from the back of the order remains crucial to the Dodgers’ stacked lineup.
“He’s fighting every day,” Roberts said. “I’ve praised him all year for his defense and now the bat is going the way it has. I think if you look at the last few weeks, the numbers are in line. My eyes are in line. I like what I see. And, you know, the confidence certainly oozes out of him.”
Lux wasn’t alone in leading the Dodgers to a series sweep of the Red Sox, a much-needed result for a club that had lost six of seven games entering last week’s All-Star break.
The Dodgers hit a season-high six home runs in total, with Freddie Freeman, Teoscar HernandezAustin Barnes, Jason Heyward and Shohei Ohtani Also delving into a warm afternoon in Chavez Ravine.
Ohtani’s 473-foot homer in the fifth nearly cleared the roof over the right-field pavilion; his NL-leading 30th homer of the year left his teammates in awe as he rounded the bases.
“It sounded like a shotgun had come out of his bat,” Lux said.
Barnes, who hit his first homer of the season in the previous at-bat, added: “I was still thinking about mine (and then) I heard like a gunshot and everyone yelling.”
Roberts echoed this: “It’s a place that people don’t go to. It’s really impressive. It seems like it does things every night that people can’t do.”
On the mound, James Paxton rebounded from a two-run homer in the first inning by Jarren Duran to pitch into the sixth, allowing just one more run in his longest start in more than a month. Daniel Hudson, meanwhile, earned the save after closer Evan Phillips allowed three runs in the ninth (he has allowed nine earned runs in his last eight starts).
“I think just winning, coming back to win a lot of these games in tough situations, really creates a lot of momentum for the team,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “So I hope that continues going forward.”
Still, Lux’s sudden offensive explosion could have the biggest ramifications for the Dodgers’ long-term prospects.
If he stays on track, he could justify continued at-bats against right-handed pitching, and Betts might play shortstop on those days once he returns (Betts was the Dodgers’ starting shortstop before his broken hand).
Lux also could be needed more in the short term after shortstop Miguel Rojas left Sunday’s game early with tightness in his right forearm.
Rojas doesn’t believe his injury is serious and attributes it to a one-handed swing drill with a heavy bat that he recently added to his routine in the batting cage. He won’t play Monday, Roberts said, but he probably won’t need any medical imaging tests either.
“I’ll just come in tomorrow,” Rojas said, “and see how I feel when I pitch.”
Lux’s resurgence could also have ramifications at the trade deadline, as any continued issues on his part could have prompted the club to look for more infield help.
But the Dodgers hadn’t lost faith in their former first-round draft pick yet. They had held out hope that, at some point, he would overcome his slow start to the year and be an important piece in their plans to compete for a World Series.
This weekend, Lux showed long-awaited signs that this level of play is still possible.
For the first time in a long time, he looked like someone who could still be a key piece in the success of their lineup.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
