Although he did not start Tuesday night’s game against the Rays, it appears Dodgers’ rookie Gavin Lux is a lock for the postseason roster.
Tuesday night, the Dodgers sat highly touted prospect Gavin Lux against Blake Snell and the Tampa Bay Rays. Left-handed starting pitchers have been all that has kept Gavin Lux out of the Dodgers’ everyday starting lineup. It could also foreshadow what the team’s plan is for the postseason. Against right-handed starters, Lux will start at second base.
Overall during his brief big league stint, Lux has posted a triple-slash line of .293/.356/.512. Against right-handed pitching, he has been even better with a slash line of .306/.375/.472. Gavin has only had one hit in five at-bats against southpaw pitching in the big leagues, but his lone hit was a home run. Making one of his two career home runs against a lefty.
Although Dave Roberts has not formally announced it, the plan is clear as day, Gavin Lux will be the Dodgers’ starting second baseman against right-handed starting pitchers going into the postseason. Against left-handed starting pitchers he will most likely take a seat, especially if it is a tough lefty like Blake Snell who pitched for the Rays last night.
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Against lefties, the Dodgers will likely use Chris Taylor or Kiké Hernandez at second base with the other getting a start in right field for Joc Pederson. Max Muncy could also be a candidate to start at second base when the club faces a left-handed starter given that his OPS is nearly identical against both types of starting pitchers. Muncy did get the start on Tuesday night against the southpaw Snell.
Traditionally the Dodgers have rostered 12 pitchers for the National League Division Series going with a five man bench. As things currently stand the bench figures to include Russell Martin, David Freese, Chris Taylor, Kiké Hernandez, and Matt Beaty. With that bench configuration, Gavin Lux would be locked in as the starting second baseman, at least against right-handed pitching.
As the final week of the season nears, the Dodgers will begin aligning their rotation for the postseason and also start to roll out their starting lineup for the playoffs. With Gavin Lux showing no signs of being overmatched at the plate or on the field, there is no reason why he shouldn’t be a lock for the postseason roster.
Gavin should not only make the postseason roster, but he should also start at second base. Especially against right-handed pitching, there is nobody else on the roster who can play second base and offer the type of offensive potential that Lux can. Max Muncy is the only other player who has the same type of firepower at the plate, but he is likely to stick at first base with an ailing right wrist.