Two-time World Series champion with the Los Angeles Dodgers Gavin Lux will be changing from blue to red as he hopes to bring Dodger blue luck into Cincinnati, Ohio. While Lux was a primary second baseman who dabbled at shortstop and the outfield, his role with the Reds will not be consistent as he’s expected to play all over the field and lineup.
Lux’s Offense
Offensively, Lux has been solid in the past two seasons. After struggling with depth and injuries, Lux has put together back-to-back solid offensive seasons in 2022 and 2024 (they missed 2023 with injury). In 138 games in 2024, Lux slashed .251/.320/.383 for a .703 OPS and 100 wRC+. This is likely where Lux will perform in a season: a low 700s OPS with solid on-base skills. He walked in 9.0% of his plate appearances while striking out 22.6% of the time, both solid rates.
A concerning but common struggle in Lux’s game is his splits between facing right-handed pitchers vs left-handed pitchers. In 50 plate appearances against lefties in 2024, Lux slashed a measly .152/.220/.174 for a .394 OPS and a 17/3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. On the flip side, in 437 plate appearances against righties, he slashed .262/.332/.407 for a .739 OPS and a 93/41 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Lux is essentially unplayable against left-handed pitching, which will undoubtedly limit his role on the team to be a platoon option rather than an everyday utility guy.
Gavin Lux’s Infield Defense
In the 138 games in 2024, Lux trotted out to the second baseman for all but one of those games. He was around average on defense, with -2 OAA and -2 DRS. Both metrics rated him slightly below average for the first time in his career. For reference, here are his defensive metrics in the previous years of his career at second base.
2022: 2 OAA/3 DRS (819 2/3 innings)
2021: -4 OAA/4 DRS (206 innings)
2020: 1 OAA/5 DRS (143 innings)
The struggles defensively in 2024 can be attributed to him working his way back into the groove of things after missing an entire season of recovering from a torn ACL. Even if he doesn’t revert back to his prior defensive abilities, he is still a serviceable defensive second baseman.
There are rumors of him possibly taking over at the third base spot from time to time. The third base position is volatile for the Reds, with Jeimer Candelario slotted as the primary third baseman. However, if his struggles persist or he ever needs off days, Lux may be the one who slides in behind him.
Gavin Lux’s Outfield Defense
The possibility of Lux appearing in the outfield is slim but possible. The Reds outfield is weaker compared to those of other teams. He has minimal experience out there for the Dodgers in 2021 and 2022.
He logged 134 1/3 innings in the outfield in 2021, split between left field and center field, where he registered a combined -4 DRS. In 2022, he trotted to left field and center field for 205 1/3 innings, where he recorded -3 DRS, a mark slightly improved from 2021 but still not great, especially considering the net negative he was in such a small sample size.
Gavin Lux’s 2025 Role
Seeing as second baseman will be Matt McLain’s spot, and third base will be clogged with the group of Jeimer Candelario, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Noelvi Marte, and Santiago Espinal. Lux would most likely have to fill in at either second or third when the other options relieve off-days. Outfield seems like a far-fetched idea, given his prior struggles, but it could still be a possibility. There is also the chance that he serves as the occasional DH against right-handed pitching.
The addition of Gavin Lux poses as an interesting bench piece with the ability to play at a starter’s level. It all depends on his and the other’s performance. The positive aspect for the Reds is that it’s always better to have too many options than too few.
Main Photo Credits: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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