Cincinnati Reds second baseman Gavin Lux and outfielder Jake Fraley are both sitting out on Thursday in Milwaukee against the division-rival Brewers with a left-hander on the mound. Matt McLain is starting at second base and batting second, and Blake Dunn gets the start in right field and is hitting sixth versus Brewers lefty Nestor Cortes. Santiago Espinal is starting in left field and is batting eighth. Lux, who has hit righties much better in his career, is off to a slow start in his first year in Cincy by going 4-for-19 with a double, RBI, two walks and four strikeouts in his first six games. Fraley has been even worse, going 2-for-18 with an RBI, no walks and three strikeouts in five games played in the early going. Espinal is the only one who has faced Cortes in his career and is hitless in just five at-bats.
Cincinnati Reds infielder/outfielder Gavin Lux is starting in left field and is batting cleanup in his debut for the Reds on Opening Day on Thursday at Great American Ball Park against the visiting San Francisco Giants and right-hander Logan Webb. Especially with Austin Hays (calf) starting the year on the injured list, Lux should be a lineup regular between left field and third base for the Reds against right-handed pitchers. Batting out of the cleanup spot on Opening Day makes the 27-year-old left-handed hitter an enticing DFS play against Webb, who he has hit .263 against with an .838 OPS in his career, including three RBI. While Lux is in a more favorable hitting environment in Cincy, it remains to be seen how much he'll play against lefties after seeing just 46 at-bats versus southpaws in his final season with the Dodgers in 2024.
Cincinnati Reds infielder Gavin Lux is going to see time at both second base and third base during spring training, according to manager Terry Francona. It sounds like the team wants to see Lux at both spots and don't have plans of moving Lux into the outfield. Lux was acquired by the Reds during the offseason after he became the odd man out with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Last season, Lux hit .251/.320/.383 with 10 home runs and 50 RBI across 139 games with the Dodgers. He put together an extremely strong second half that included a batting average over .300 during his final 61 games. Hopefully, Lux will be able to become a consistent contributor on the Reds roster.
Gavin Lux To Move Around The Infield During Spring Training
According to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic, Cincinnati Reds infielder Gavin Lux is expected to move around the infield during spring training. Manager Terry Francona noted that the 27-year-old is expected to see time at first, second, and third base, shortstop, and potentially the outfield as well. Last season, Lux spent most of his time at second base for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Earlier in the offseason, the Reds acquired Lux from the Dodgers in exchange for outfielder Mike Sirota. Across 139 games last season, Lux posted a .251/.320/.383 line with 10 home runs and 24 doubles. He also swiped five bases. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor where Lux plays in spring training, as it could impact the playing time for other Cincinnati infielders, such as Noelvi Marte and Santiago Espinal.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Dodgers are trading infielder Gavin Lux to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for outfield prospect Mike Sirota and a competitive balance pick. According to a source, that balance pick currently sits at No. 37. After the Dodgers signed Hyeseong Kim to a three-year deal, Gavin Lux did not have a spot in the starting lineup which encouraged several teams to begin acquiring on him. Over the week several teams have expressed interest in the former first rounder but the Reds were able to get a deal complete. Fantasy managers should expect Lux to have a role at the keystone in Cincinnati which will likely move Matt McClain to the outfield. Last season, Lux held a .251/.330/.383 line with ten home runs and five stolen bases. Lux could be worth a look in deeper formats if he bats near the top of the Cincinnati lineup.
Yankees, Mariners Have Shown Interest In Gavin Lux
According to Pat Ragazzo of Sports Illustrated, the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners have shown interest in acquiring infielder Gavin Lux. The Yankees will have a hole in their infield at either second or third base, depending where Jazz Chisholm Jr. starts the season. While the Yankees have a few internal options to fill that void, in DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera, or Oswald Peraza, Lux would provide some more upside in their lineup and would remain under team control for another two seasons. Ragazzo noted that the Seattle Mariners have also expressed interest in acquiring Lux as they are also in need of another infielder. Lux could find himself at the forefront of trade conversations in the coming weeks as the Dodgers recently brought in infielder Hye-Seong Kim from the KBO on a three-year deal who is expected to have a starting role in 2025. Last season, Lux held a .251/.320/.383 line with ten home runs and five stolen bases.
With Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts expected to move back to the infield and likely at second base next season, infielder Gavin Lux appears to be the odd-man out. Lux will especially be the odd-man out of the Dodgers end up bringing free-agent outfielder Teoscar Hernandez back. If the Dodgers don't decide to trade Lux this offseason, he'll most likely head to the bench if Betts becomes the primary second baseman in 2025. The Dodgers have both veteran Miguel Rojas and Tommy Edman as options to play shortstop. Lux was much better offensively in the second half of the regular season but struggled mightily at the plate in the first half and in the playoffs. The 26-year-old left-handed hitter batted .251/.320/.383 with a below-average .703 OPS, a career-high 10 homers, 50 RBI and five steals in 139 regular-season games after missing all of 2023 due to injury.
Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux will not start in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Thursday at Citi Field with New York Mets left-hander Jose Quintana on the mound. Chris Taylor will start at the keystone and bat ninth for the Dodgers instead. Lux left Game 1 of the NLCS on Sunday with hip-flexor tightness, sat out of Game 2 on Monday and returned to Game 3 on Wednesday to go 0-for-4 with a strikeout. He'll get another day off on Thursday with a southpaw on the mound in favor of Taylor, who has good numbers against Quintana in his career. In 24 career at-bats, Taylor has hit .333 (8-for-24) with three doubles, three RBI, two walks and eight strikeouts. However, he'll be looking for his first hit this postseason after going hitless in six plate appearances with a walk and four K's in six games (one start) this year.
Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux (hip) is back at the keystone and is hitting sixth for the Blue in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Wednesday at Citi Field against the New York Mets and right-hander Luis Severino. Lux was pulled from the Game 1 win early on Sunday with hip-flexor tightness and did not appear in the Game 2 loss on Monday, but after an off day on Tuesday, he's ready to roll as the series heads to the Big Apple. The 26-year-old left-handed hitter has never faced Severino in his career and comes into this contest batting .263 (5-for-19) with a home run, three RBI, two walks and four runs scored in six postseason starts for the Dodgers. There's not much power or speed to be had here, but he was able to drive in a career-high 50 runs in a stacked Dodgers lineup in 2024.
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that second baseman Gavin Lux (hip) "feels much better today," and the team expects him to be in the starting lineup for Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Wednesday at Citi Field against the New York Mets and right-hander Luis Severino. Lux was removed from the Game 1 win on Sunday due to hip-flexor tightness and did not play in the Game 2 loss on Monday. However, the 26-year-old should be back in action on Wednesday with the series moving to the Big Apple. Lux has had a pretty solid postseason through six games, going 5-for-19 (.263) with a home run, three RBI, two walks and four runs scored. He has never faced Severino to this point in his career.
Jake Fraley
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Reds
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