Gavin Lux will have right knee surgery on March 7: ‘It’s a huge blow’

Losing any player to injury for an entire season is obviously a significant injury, especially so when said player was slated to be the starting shortstop and a key part of the lineup. That’s the case with the Dodgers’ Gavin Lux, whose torn ACL will keep him out for the 2023 season.

Juan Toribio at MLB.com also reported Lux tore his LCL as well.

Lux met with reporters at Camelback Ranch on Tuesday, a week before he’s scheduled to have knee surgery in Los Angeles to repair his torn ACL. Team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache will perform the procedure.

“Gavin is obviously crushed. It’s a huge blow,” manager Dave Roberts said, per Cary Osborne at Dodger Insider. “My heart goes out to him — all of ours does.”

With Lux out, the Dodgers will turn to veteran Miguel Rojas for the bulk of the time at shortstop. Rojas talked to reporters in Arizona on Tuesday. From Bill Plunkett at the Orange County Register:

“For me, the first thing that I felt was really pain for Gavin,” Rojas said. “A young kid that has been working his ass off to get ready for the season to be the every-day shortstop for this team. He’s a big part of this club. I just feel bad for him that he has to go through whatever he’s going to have to go through.

“What it means for me is what I’ve been preparing for. I’ve been playing shortstop every day for the last four or five years of my career. I went into the offseason thinking I was going to have to prepare for 162 games and here it is.”

Jon Weisman at his Slayed by Voices newsletter wrote about how the Gavin Lux injury further tests an already-thin Dodgers depth chart.

Rowan Kavner at Fox Sports looked at what the Dodgers might do to make up for the loss of Lux. “At shortstop, however, the answer will have to come from their major-league roster,” he wrote. “Or someone else’s.”

The outside options are limited as well. “With Lux out, one easy move the Dodgers could make to bolster their depth would be to sign José Iglesias, one of just three remaining free agent position players to reach the 1-WAR threshold last year,” wrote Jay Jaffe at FanGraphs. “He’s not a clear upgrade over Rojas, however. Neither is the Yankees’ Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who’s in the midst of a position battle involving prospects Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza and who could become available if the kids have impressive springs.”