Dodgers insider updates fans on Gavin Lux’s 2022 role projection

Still just 24 years old, Gavin Lux has remained on the Dodgers‘ roster as his top prospect status has receded, but he potentially hasn’t remained in the team’s plans.

Lux might be starting 162 games a year for a lesser team, but the Dodgers are in too prime a position not to take the opportunities presented to them to install All-Stars at his potential positions. After all, the youngster hasn’t shown the defensive versatility expected of him to match the athleticism and bat — and, again, the bat hasn’t been that great.

Trea Turner trade midway through 2021? Lux isn’t going to stand in the way of that. Chris Taylor extension? I mean, you can’t dump your team MVP. No matter how the cookie crumbles, Lux always seems to be on the losing end of the aftermath.

This season, despite a last-minute AJ Pollock trade and the introduction of the Universal DH, doesn’t sound much more stable for Lux, according to MLB.com’s Juan Toribio.

Toribio addressed Lux’s role in his latest mailbag, and those who are already dubious about his glove won’t be assured by the plan in place.

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According to Toribio, the Pollock trade didn’t install Lux as an everyday left fielder, but rather moved Chris Taylor there, leaving Lux to play a little left, second, and DH.

"The Dodgers want to give Lux plenty of at-bats this season. The only issue was that after signing Freddie Freeman, the playing-time situation became muddled. But after the trade that sent AJ Pollock to the White Sox, Lux’s path to consistent at-bats is a bit more clear.Chris Taylor is now expected to handle most of the responsibility in left field. Lux, however, will get some chances there against right-handed pitching. Playing second base also opens up whenever Max Muncy starts at DH."

For someone with top prospect pedigree looking to finally get some big-league footing after scatterbrained cameos in 2019, 2020 and 2021, shifting between the outfield, second base, and nine full innings on the bench doesn’t seem like the perfect transition.

Perhaps moving Taylor around and keeping Lux in one spot would be wiser, considering CT3 has already proven he can handle it? Just spitballing here.

Now 24, it’s not a flaming take to say that if Lux has a future with the Dodgers, it won’t be as a multi-positional jack of all trades.

Of course, if the long drive he drilled into the wind in left-center against the Giants last postseason had sailed out, the Dodgers might be bending over backwards to accommodate him instead of shifting him around after a 1.6-WAR campaign. The little things.

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