It's Time for Dodgers to Promote Gavin Lux
Forget the service time manipulation thing. Gavin Lux is not being held back to keep him under team control for an extra year; the year being 2026. Not because Dave Roberts says so, but because the Dodgers don't play that game.
They didn't play it with Walker Buehler when his time came, they didn't play it with Cody Bellinger, they didn't play it with Corey Seager and they didn't play it with Joc Pederson, when each was the top prospect in the system. You'd have to go all the way back to 2011 to research it further, which would be a waste of time not only because it would be prior to the Guggenheim group 2012 purchase of the club and not relative, but because you won't find an instance of a hold-back there either. If a young player can help the Dodgers, and there is a need, the player gets the promotion.
Well, there's a need now.
Yes, the Dodgers were justified in optioning Lux to begin the 2020 shortened-season. He was late to arrive due to COVID-related protocols -- pitcher Tony Gonsolin met the same fate -- there wasn't time for him to ramp up to be big-league-ready for the July 23 opener, and perhaps most importantly, the Dodgers had a surplus of reliable left-hand hitters.
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They don't have quite the same surplus at the moment. Corey Seager, the one lefty-swinger who was actually swinging the bat well through the first two weeks of play, injured his back diving for a ball Friday night and missed the rest of the weekend series with San Francisco. If Seager hits the injured list in the next couple of days and Lux gets the call to replace him, fine. That's an easy decision. But with a 28-man roster and Chris Taylor filling in ably at shortstop, L.A. prefers to wait to see how Seager responds to treatment before going that route.
Meanwhile, the other left-hand hitters struggle. Cody Bellinger is a mess of man in the batters box, with an ugly .172/.232/.281 to show for his 64 at bats in 15 games. Joc Pederson is better at .195/.313/.415, Max Muncy is in a similar predicament at .177/.311/.403 and Matt Beaty is pulling up the rear at .133/.235/.333. Yes, these men have 10 home runs between them -- and Edwin Rios has three in only 16 at bats -- but it isn't good enough in a shortened season when every game counts for more than it normally would.
Moreover, L.A. needs some oomph versus right-handers at second base. Immediately. This is not a knock at Kiké Hernandez -- at all -- but the veteran utility man is best served facing left-hand pitchers only. Hernandez is hitting .364/.364/.727 vs. LHP so far this year, and .231/.268/.308 vs. RHP. The lifetime numbers provide more evidence: .267/.351/.482 vs. LHP and .221/.287/.381 vs. RHP.
In a vacuum, Hernandez's performance wouldn't be a problem. The same is true for Bellinger, Muncy, Pederson and Beaty. But the game doesn't exist in a vacuum; it's played on diamond, and with the latter four all slumping together and Seager unable to play, it's time to add another lefty masher to the roster. That masher is Lux, who should slip right into the lineup in a straight platoon with Hernandez at the keystone. Starting right now, tonight, with Beaty heading out.
To the extent that the skipper says that Lux isn't ready and needs more reps -- and that's what Roberts is saying -- I say this: who's he facing at the alternate training site, Josh Sborz?
Enough already. It's time to move forward. If Lux could hit .347/.421/.607 at Tulsa and Oklahoma City last year, if he could hit .270/.343/.413 vs. major league right-handers in 2019, if he was good enough to earn two starts in the 2019 National League Division Series (in which he homered and slugged .556), he's good enough to face San Diego's Luis Perdomo tonight at Chavez Ravine. And Garrett Richards tomorrow night, Zach Davies Wednesday and Chris Paddock Thursday. Right-handers all.
This is no time to be cute, Andrew Friedman. Make the call. Get Lux to the ballpark and suited up no later than 6:40 p.m. this very evening. Promote Lux. There is no reason for further delay.
And remember, glove conquers all.
Howard Cole has been writing about baseball on the internet since Y2K. Follow him on Twitter.
