Gavin Lux expected back in Dodgers lineup on Saturday

Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux is expected back in the starting lineup on Saturday, after missing over two weeks with a neck issue.

Lux last played for the Dodgers on September 1, having dealt with a neck issue dating back to the last 10 days of August, and required a cortisone injection in the first week of this month. Entering Friday, Lux missed the Dodgers’ previous 12 games and was limited to just five games and 18 plate appearances in the team’s last 21 contests.

Despite Lux’s neck injury, the Dodgers opted not to place him on the injured list and call up another player from Triple-A, cementing that the 13 position players on the postseason roster will come from the 14 players currently active.

After facing Yency Almonte in a simulated game on Wednesday at Chase Field, Lux stayed back to get some more at-bats at Camelback Ranch before joining the team in San Francisco.

Lux has thrived this season with regular playing time, hitting .293/.368/.428, a 127 wRC+, starting 81 games at second base and 24 times in left. He leads the major leagues with seven triples.

After his last game played, on September 1, Lux ranked in the top ten in the National League in both on-base percentage and batting average, but no longer has enough plate appearances to qualify. Entering Friday, Lux’s 418 PA were 22 shy of qualifying.

Since Lux’s last game, Chris Taylor has taken the bulk of the time at second base, starting nine of 13 games, including Friday night in San Francisco. Mookie Betts started at second three times in those last two weeks, and Hanser Alberto accounted for the other start at the position.

Some other notes, from the reporters on site in San Francisco: