JULY 19: Los Angeles has placed Lux on the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain. It seems he could be in for something of a lengthy absence, as manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Juan Toribio of MLB.com) his recovery “could take some time.”
JULY 18: Dodgers infielder Gavin Lux left today’s 6-5 loss to the Rockies with a hamstring injury. Lux immediately grabbed his left hamstring area while breaking out of the batter’s box on a ground ball in the ninth inning, and he was replaced at shortstop in the bottom half of the frame. Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts described the injury to reporters (including The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya) as a “cramp, mild strain-ish” type of problem, and Lux will likely miss at least a few games while team trainers and doctors perform tests.
Should the injured list be required for Lux, it will create another hole in a Dodgers roster that hasn’t really been entirely healthy at any point this season. Pitching injuries have been the larger issue for the defending World Series champions, but several notable position players have missed time, including Corey Seager’s ongoing absence due to a broken hand. (Lux himself had a minimal 10-game IL stint due to wrist soreness back in April.)
Lux began the season as the Dodgers’ regular second baseman, but took over as the primary shortstop when Seager was sidelined. Seager is playing simulated games and might be pretty close to returning, but until he actually does get back, Chris Taylor will likely be the top option at shortstop if Lux is also out.
One of baseball’s top prospects during his time in the L.A. farm system, Lux has yet to really deliver on that high potential, though he has played only 124 big league games from 2019-21. Lux posted a .655 OPS over 151 PA in his first two seasons and appeared in only one game during the Dodgers’ postseason run last fall. Coming into this season with a starting gig, Lux has hit .227/.307/.349 with six home runs over 313 plate appearances. There is some element of bad luck at play, considering Lux’s .294 wOBA is well below his .320 xwOBA, but even that latter statistic is below average.
mlb injury rumors
Trades can follow injuries at this juncture of the season…
Thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.
RIP
This made me think. It’s pretty rare to actually see a rumor on MLBTR these days. It’s mostly transactions and injuries. Once upon a time, “X team interested in Y player” would dominate the articles.
I guess Twitter killed what MLBTR had.
no, they’re still here.
Clearly you haven’t been here previous years where this exact thing happens. Mid year trade season and a little bit of off season are the peaks – it’s valleys in between.
If there is no hot stove, it’s pretty hard to talk about it.
That was over 10 years ago when mods actually kept the boards clear.
Does Chris Taylor get resigned by the Dodgers? As a Giants fan, I see a ton of value in Taylor’s versatility. He will be a hot commodity in the off season of he does not resign. The Dodgers are loaded with young talent though..
On a side note, I’m patiently waiting for Zaidi to make some moves. It’s time Zaidi! Go get Kris Bryant?
Dodgers are NOT loaded in minors anymore, they have some possible players who could help in 2021 (Gray, Ruiz), some outliers come with some issues (Busch, Pepiot)
Others like Nuese, Peters were pitiful in majors cannot rely on them to pull through
then there is trying Estevez not proving it in AAA
Dodgers system upper system has been depleted
I didn’t know that, thanks. I assumed they were still loaded.
Don’t let the cynics change your valid opinion. Just because it’s not the top system in baseball doesn’t mean it cannot deliver talent
Since 16, Baseball America has had its preseason rankings: 1,2,9,9,3,9(this year).. It’s held it’s own plenty since the first time it was ranked 9th in 2018. The Athletic had 2021 system at 10th best
truebluela.com/2021/2/10/22276477/dodgers-farm-sys…
That whole article basically resolved my statement – I listed potential players that could help in 2021 there ain’t much left like in the past – My Statement is spot on
I think one of Seager and Taylor is retained and the other signs elsewhere.
Datashark has no idea what he is talking about. Ruiz, Gray, perpiot. All are blue chip prospects knocking on door, with a ton of high need talent that’s still 17/18/19 years old. Dodgers have gotten 4 of the top international prospects in recent years to go along with strong drafts. MLB pipeline isn’t the best for evaluating talent (see padres who always have a “top rated” farm yet very little make impact on majors roster) dodgers are one of the best in business and I would assume giants are on the same pathway with zaidi.
Unlike kike, Taylor has a huge value at times like these he has been a plug and play player for the dodgers. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get a deal similar to muncys before the end of the year. All in all I think Lux showing he isn’t ready for everyday play will make dodgers spend to retain Seager this winter as well. How poorly bellinger has played i wouldn’t be surprised to see him delt to save money and add assets this winter or next year as his and buehlers eventual paydays are coming.
This will irk dodger fans but I genuinely think Correa is a fit for the roster albeit not for the clubhouse. A great player that holds together better than Glass Corey. Ofc dodgers faithful would scorn at an Astro in dodger blue…
“ This will irk dodger fans but I genuinely think Correa is a fit for the roster albeit not for the clubhouse. A great player that holds together better than Glass Corey. Ofc dodgers faithful would scorn at an Astro in dodger blue”
Correa has stayed healthy for a total of 1 full season, 2016 and then 2020. You claim Seager is “glass”, yet including 2016 Correa has played in.. less than 40 more games than Corey. 8 more games a year. If Seager is glass, Correa is glass whos already pissed off the entire fan base.
Would you spend 200M+ to get the same number of games from public enemy number one as you get from Corey, knowing your own fans will boo your cleanup hitter for his entire contract?
First Seager has been hurt more and more severely. Second, as a Dodger fan I’m saying this. They stole a WS yes but guess what we have to move on from 2017.
Again. It’s 39 games, over 5 years. 8 games a year lol. It’s fairly inconsequential while deciding one has been injured more than the other, they’ve both missed a lot of time
Since 2016, their career OPS+ is within 1 point, with Seager ahead. Correa has had at least 2 surgeries, as has Seager
Unless there’s some 100M difference in new contract, I don’t see the appeal with going with the slightly lesser hitter who’s also expected to outgrow shortstop and will alienate your fan base and clubhouse. If he was 15% better than Corey or Correa only missed 39 games while Seager missed 250+ games, maybe you can start making the points you’re trying. But neither is the case
To answer your Chris Taylor question, I think LA tries very hard to keep him. His value as a super sub cannot be understated. The team really hurt when he was down early in the year
They re-sign him because he is a super utility player, better bat than Kike (as much as we all loved Kike), and has proven his glove is worthy. He is playing like an all star this year and has improved. I think the Dodgers are one of those organizations that give players real opportunities and I think CT has earned his roster spot.
Will be interesting what the Dodgers do. I get a sense that Seager walks and Taylor stays. That said, I’m not confident that Lux can play SS well or hit nearly as well as Seager. Still early though. Friedman will earn his paycheck next few years. Difficult decisions. Dodgers farm is fine. Some good talent but clearly not like before. It would be unfair to expect similar type results from the farm.
I hope dodgers sign Taylor I love watching him play , but with lux injury hope its minor but hope albert Pujols will play more o just love watching him play when I go to the game and he plays he always does great lol go dodgers
Javy Baez to Dodgers confirmed
If there’s one team that would almost never touch Báez, it’s LA. They value getting on base. Half their runners are walks in their well played games
Gavin Lux has a career OBP of .300
Gavin Lux is 23 and costs 500K with no prospect capital going out. He was also the top prospect in all of baseball just before Covid hit in 2020, coming off his age 21 year where he had a 375 OBP in AA’s first half followed by a 475 OBP in AAA in the back half of 2019. He clearly has the ability
I don’t think Báez could have even a 375 OBP in A ball right now.. and he hasn’t had a .300 OBP In the majors in 2 years. So Lux has out produced in him in a time when Lux has had Covid and 2 different IL stints, as a rookie
Lux has 6 home runs. Baez has 21
Lol Lux has out-performed Baez. Few are more critical of Baez than I am, but don’t be ridiculous. There’s more to offense than obp (hey suburban mom, a walk is not always as good as a hit!), Baez still has great power, and he is a defensive whiz.
I get it. You are a Dodger fan, you like Lux, and you don’t want Javy. Fair enough on all counts. But stop there. Even with Baez’s bad year last year, this is a silly claim.
Baez>Lux
period. Lux has not proven anything yet.
For the record Baez would be terrible to be in LA – He is the type of player who could get enthralled with LA and lose focus.
My entire post was about OBP but got 3 trolls jumping at the end sentence where I didn’t write OBP for the 5th time in 5 sentences. Wow you fools need something better to do than convince me Baez is needed for the dodgers
if the Cubs and dodgers trade, Baez is probably about 6th on LA’s wishlist, and 3rd on his own infield. Hendricks, Davies, Kimbrel, Bryant, Rizzo then maybe Baez, if there’s not another CHI reliever I’m blanking on likely to be moved.
Why? That 266 OBP and 88 OPS+ from the last 2 years is not hard to find. Even among his own freakin teammates. Lux by himself has an 84 OPS+ and you fools are lecturing me about bad and unproven he is. Baez has been a bad hitter for multiple years. La will bank on Lux’s potential or find a better trade alternative over watching Baez striking out in 36% of his at bats but occasionally hit a bomb
Gavin Lux career OPS+ is 81
Lux’s MLB career equates to a 3 week Sept call up, 19 games after having Covid with symptoms and recoverin, looking like a twig, and then this year broken up with 2 IL stints. Yet he’s been just 4% worse than Baez over the last 2 years
La may well acquire an infielder and send Lux to the bench. But Baez doesn’t move the needle at all. Sorry to disappoint
Baez OPS is 25% better than Lux this year
and both Bryant and Rizzo are better than Baez.
Add in last year and Lux and Baez are about equal. Would you trade one or more top prospects for a 4% upgrade on an in-house option? Or would you aim higher?
There’s really not much you can say to argue Baez is the best fit from the Cubs to LA. Both Bryant and Rizzo fit better, not to mention any infielder from any other team who’s more consistent than an 88 OPS+ over the last two years. Gonna be a long list
25% offensive upgrade. Don’t forget the gold glove too!
So in conclusion, you know cannot dispute my point, so you’re repeating yourself
Baez’s DRS is +5. Lux is +3. Muncy, the guy playing 2B since Seager went down, has a +10 DRS. Taylor, the backup 2B & occasional SS, has a +3 infield DRS in half the innings Baez has
Do better
Taylor has been 2B not Muncy. Muncy only goes to 2B once Pujols pinch hits and forces the second baseman somewhere else like the OF or SS depending on Roberts for the day and the next pitchers. Thank God Taylor is versatile
Max has been at 2B in 30 games, so 1/3 of the season
When Albert was at 1B, max as at 2B because Taylor was in CF. Muncy at 2B isn’t their ideal lineup, but he certainly has shown he can line up there
Dodgers are not an organization to just give up on players, especially a former top prospect like Lux who is still very young and is not in his prime yet. Also, Dodgers have a strikeout problem, I don’t think they would add a player like Baez, especially a trade right now. Corey is coming back and the real need is starting pitching and relief pitching.
Cubs’ Bryant to Dodgers they will extend him to take over Justin Turner role. for Ruiz and Pepiot and/or possible 3rd player as A ball player or McKinstry who can play 3B but they have wisdom as well.
As a Cubs fan, sure!
But you may want to be more realistic…
hey just trying to get conversation going….. LAD needs to think 3B unless Seager is moving to 3B and then they will need a defensive whiz at SS as that alone will do more…Giants having Crawford at SS has saved a ton of runs….whoa! could dodgers be in the works for Crawford after season..?
Have you looked at Justin Turner’s stat line? Why would LA being trying to replace a 143 OPS+ bat who is also the de facto captain?
And the fact he’s signed for like 3 more years
Turner Club option in 2023
Dodgers are not trading Ruiz, Pepiot, and McKinstry for someone like Baez.
Bryant isn’t getting that return. As good as he is right now, he’s a rental – the days of rentals bringing back hauls are gone.
I thought Seager was returning to roster soon?
Baez will move to 2b when Seager returns
I think he’s close to coming back in early August because he’s been doing simulated games at Camelback Ranch. That would be a needed boost and could shift the focus to starting pitching.
Awww. Tough Lux
Seager, Mookie and Bellinger have started 4 games together this year. It was game 94 for LA today
No one sympathizes. Sorry.
Bitter much?
Staring Bellinger from the offensive side is currently a minus. Still good in CF though.
Did you care when the Padres lost their 2 best pitchers right when the playoffs started last year Before McCourt? No. So do you think other team’s fans will care when the Dodgers have injuries? No, they will not.
You cared enough to stop here on a dodger post and whine about something that happened a year ago though
Dodgers system promoted their top end guys last year (8 guys used up rookie status). Still have Gray and Ruiz as impact ready. Had to rely on non top prospect guys early in year that hadn’t played in 18 months. Almost all are back on track and they’re stacked from AA down. By mid-year 22 they’ll be back to a top-10 system.
Their AA ain’t got much lots of hitters who free swing (Casey, Rincon) No one is hitting that well to say deep. Busch is their “prospect” and he ain’t wowing anyone right now.
In the pitching, there is Pepiot (the star of their AA) who has control problems, but has a great K rate – the control issue could eat him alive in MLB – if he fixes that he could be frontline talent after Gray, then on the lower tier there is Andre Jackson likely an RP at 25 in AA, outside of them there is not much of depth.
what’s the deal with Pepiot anyway? never heard of the dude before the year yet LAD fans are all over him? is that just the full report?
He was a 3rd rounder, was a question if he’d sign. Then he Had a great debut in 2019, Covid wiped out 2020 but he was in AZ being talked up for his play there. He had looked like a fast riser as soon as he was drafted. Currently expected to be in majors by end of this year or 2022
@Data shark- Im with ya as a Dodger fan
I made a post before the year how the depth wouldn’t be there if needed internally preseason –
My fellow Dodger fans didn’t take it so kind as well. they tend to do that !
OF is the major weakness I mostly outlined- Reks Peters Raley are not MLB players Imo. Pollock, as long as he can stay healthy, big if, is kind of erasing that need for 21 but it still exists moving forward- Going to be awhile till Pages Rodriguez get up so lets hope he holds up. Watching Pollock in the OF is scary; his hips look old and fragile and body zapped, looking good w the bat tho Rn, so good I never wanna see him attempt a diving play again in the field –
There have been some nice surprises in the bullpen from some of the older folks and pickups like Bickford tho as a small pleasant surprise- I think they have a solid plan w the pen moving forward and will not have too use too much roster reso$rces to help spend elsewhere on guys like Urias Belli etc soon –
I don’t think there will be an Impact arm till Bobby Miller but he’s going to be Real Good and he’s coming pretty quickly – — Rumor was Pepoit {maybe?} goes tomorrow vs SF, thad be fun to see
@ cap & crunch. Very true. The depth is not as good. If Dodger fans are honest they’ll admit that. Partly due to a few free agents leaving (Joc and Kike), but also fewer contributions from the farm. To be honest, I don’t think it would have been fair to expect similar type of contributions going forward.
Spot on. I hear you on the OF depth. It’s been lacking when you see the type of ABs you’re getting from Reks, Raley and Peters. Very ugly.
Lux hasn’t even been very good this year. Serviceable. Pretty mediocre especially versus expectations as an elite prospect. But now you move further down on the talent level unless they acquire someone.
Looks like it’s Josiah Gray getting the nod over Pepiot. Can the Dodgers catch more lightning in a bottle from pitching prospects? And if so, how sustainable will it be? We’ll see.
With upper minors hitters:
Fans hate on Neuse, Peters, and Raley, but…
Raley put it back together in AAA and is hitting 306 .417 .578 .995. Given his weakness on breaking stuff, he probably won’t put it together quickly, but there is a distinct possibility. Peters has always been a streaky hitter that is often striking out, but also goes on torrid stretches, similar to Will Smith. He is currently on one of those, going 13 for his las 34 and collecting a 10 game hitting streak, he’ll still need to recognize the high fastball, but he should be bright if he can. Then there is Neuse, who very likely was suffering from a slump due to mechanical issues early in the season. He figured it out and jumped his AAA average from .138 to .309 in 6 games, and it has held steady throughout July in the upper .280s, and he has a 7 game hitting streak going. Looks good!
Then there is Reks, who’s hitting .325.421 .595 1.016 with power, Drew Avans, a speedy CF who has a .404 OBP but just a .387 slugging, but still could be useful, and Ruiz, who is having a monster year. Christian Santana and Omar Estevez have some upside but will have to deal with issues should they make the majors and have struggled this year. In AA, there is Miguel Vargas, who raked in A ball and hasn’t missed a beat, hitting 277 .349 .509 .858, Micheal Busch, who is hitting .240 with a 29% strikeout rate but also a 16.9 walk rate and 11 HR, and Ryan Noda, who has a 15% BB rate and 11 HR while keeping the Ks rather low, though he is hitting just .215 due to a .248 BABIP. Carlos Rincon has some strikeout issues but not extreme, and has hit 12 HR. Donovan Casey has hit 10 HR and stolen 13 bases, and has a cannon for an arm, but has a 31% strikeout rate. Jaren Kendall still has power, speed and defense but with a 40% strikeout rate is probably washed up, while other top 30 prospects Devin Mann, Kody Hoese, and Jacob Amaya are struggling. Hunter Fedduccia has a 19.4% strikeout rate and has found some power which he he previously had none of, but a .232 BABIP has limited him.
Just some unbiased data.
Yea that’s great if your an OKC fan but I don’t see any of those trio of Of ever becoming MLB starters or even 4th Of
Busch is intriguing and Vargas has utility inf capabilities later but there’s not much 21 help here whatsoever on offense, but that’s really Ok b/c we don’t need it as long as no more injs
Perhaps Sheldon can be Albert (Rh bn bat) next year if all things break right
IF we were too trade for a big Fish it would be probably be w Ruiz + – C is the one spot we are probably considered over saturated at relatively right now and something we can hang our hat on ( We could probably pay our C (and b/u C) at big league level arb prices and get top tier results for a decade+ if we desire w Cartaya later which is just such a huge boon in todays MLB C landscape)- I do think our bullpen will be fun, young, internal and cheap moving forward this decade and it will be fun watching them rise up the ladder
You’re way too caught up on AA and AAA numbers. All 30 teams have guys who are tearing it up in the minors, but we know that there are many minor leaguers who don’t come close to putting up those numbers at the MLB level. It’s what you do at the MLB level. A lot more mistake pitches at AA and AAA compared to the MLB level. We are not just basing these guys off of bad MLB numbers it’s the way they’re doing it. Just way too many holes in the swing, bad approach at the plate, etc. Just some terrible ABs. Compare that to a guy even like Beaty, who doesn’t have a lot of flash and not the most talented player. But has a compact swing, good approach at the plate and doesn’t chase out of the zone. No matter the result he’s going to give you a high quality professional AB. With Neuse, Peters, Raley, Reks you don’t know what you’re going to get and often it’s a really bad AB. It’s early but those guys have a lot to fix. If you can’t hit a breaking pitch or hit the top of the strike zone high fastball or layoff pitches out of the zone you’re going to have a very short MLB career, especially with the Dodgers.
You can’t compare a Will Smith to Peters. Smith has shown a lot more discipline and higher quality swing than Peters at the MLB level. Smith has raked ever since he put on a Dodger uniform. Yes, there have been streaks but even in the down streaks you see some hard contact and he doesn’t chase out of the zone a lot and takes his walks. He’s a smart hitter too. I remember him getting pounded inside with hard fastballs in the Braves game 5 playoff series and thinking to myself if he gets another inside and in the zone he’s going to turn on it and he did. With two strikes (both called strikes were actually balls) he lays off a breaking pitch low and inside and then turns on the low inside fastball on the next pitch. That was the fourth inside fastball and you knew he was looking for that. He’s not there just swinging with no approach like a lot of young hitters.
Example 1000 – Last night watching Raley –
I mean I don’t view myself a D-bag but man it’s just painful watching those abs go down – Like I’m just rooting for these guys to make a hard out for their confidence at this point and don’t even view a positive result possible!
I think the system is a touch lite right now if that’s whos the plug N play for 1 inj – Have no clue who that Burns fella was but I liked his approach 10x better than ANYTHING ive seen from Peters Raley Reks in the box
Even with the down year, they were already a top 10 system coming into 2021 per BA. A strong finish to this year for the top guys and the system will be top 5, again. If they reach that level, it will be the 4th time in 7th years they’re a top 5 system in the game
How does a guy like Jonathan Schoop sound to Dodger fans, and what might a trade involving him look like?
He’s putting up good numbers but I don’t think the Dodgers are in need of him. The needs are starting pitching and it looks like Corey will be back sooner than later as he’s doing simulated games. CT3 can play second, as well as Muncy. And I’ve already read that CT3 will play short until Corey or Lux is back. Also, as with every playoff-likely team, relief pitching is always a need.
With the average amount of players on the 10 day IL rising, I wonder why there has not been talks about shortening the 162 game season. If most teams can’t field their starters because of injuries, there should be more time to heal up in the off-season. There’s many things MLB needs to address and fix, but dang the injuries for every team this season is horrible. Sad that Lux will be out, hopefully it’s not too bad and he will be back with the team soon.
I’m not meaning to hate, Lux appears to have all the tools to succeed. But, this is not a huge loss in terms of being replaced. His defense is replaceable with Taylor, and his well below league average offensive prowess is certainly not a huge obstacle to overcome at the moment. Also, Seager is just about ready to return.
What the Dodgers really need is Bellinger to start hitting, and for Betts to be healthy.
Yeah as far as Dodgers injuries go this season, losing Lux for a bit is a bummer but not a significant blow. Hopefully, as both Roberts and Betts have said, the hip issue with Betts is not serious and he will be fine tonight and going forward., Obviously, Betts is a guy they can’t afford to lose for any length of time, especially one, which would require a stint on the IL.
Love it when I randomly throw in punctuation typos then miss the edit window. Touchscreen typing on an iPad is frustrating. Damn technology!
Is this the final injury straw?
This guy had some outstanding minor league stats… with time, I think he will figure it out and put together some outstanding major league stats
He looks and his name scream lacrosse player. Playing baseball instead.