The Los Angeles Dodgers are making a change at shortstop. Mookie Betts and Gavin Lux are swapping positions – Betts will play shortstop and Lux will play second – and supervisor Dave Roberts stated Friday the transfer is “everlasting for now,” according to The Athletic. The place change comes after Lux had throwing points earlier this spring.
Betts performed 16 video games at shortstop final season and he performed the place effectively, all issues thought-about. They have been his first video games at shortstop since 2012, when he was within the lowest rungs of the minors with the Boston Pink Sox. Betts started his professional profession as a center infielder earlier than shifting to the outfield in deference to Dustin Pedroia and Xander Bogaerts.
For Lux, the throwing points this spring have been arduous to disregard. This current account from the Orange County Register is jarring:
Lux has made two errors this spring, one on a floor ball, the opposite on a throw. That throwing error is the one time this spring that Lux has gotten the ball to first base within the air. He has repeatedly spiked throws within the filth (or grass) effectively in need of the primary baseman even on routine performs.
Lux has had throwing points prior to now – he was held out of spring coaching video games for a while in 2019 so we might work behind the scenes with the group’s infield teacher on his throwing – and Roberts attributed Lux’s throwing points this spring not less than partially to confidence somewhat than a mechanical flaw they’re working to appropriate.
“Yeah, I feel so,” Roberts informed the Orange Nation Register when requested if Lux’s points have been psychological. “To do something the place you are making an attempt to be excellent is tough and I do assume there’s some a part of it the place he hasn’t performed baseball in fairly a while. In order he is making performs and the transition as he is making an attempt to get it throughout the diamond, he is making an attempt to be too advantageous with it. I do not assume it is the mechanics of it. I feel it is simply liberating himself as much as be free and be the athlete that he’s.”
The Dodgers might put Miguel Rojas at shortstop. He was their major shortstop final season, although that will imply taking Lux’s bat out of the lineup solely. Rojas at brief and Lux at second would imply Betts returns to the outfield, and both Jason Heyward or James Outman must sit on a given day. Swapping Betts and Lux is the simplest transfer.
Lux, 26, missed the complete 2023 season after tearing his ACL in spring coaching. He was one of many prime prospects in baseball not too way back, although defensive points within the minors prompt he’s higher fitted to second base long-term. Lux is a .253/.329/.383 hitter in 273 profession MLB video games, together with 68 at shortstop and 169 at second base.
