The Los Angeles Dodgers were dealt a major blow during their spring training game against the San Diego Padres on Monday. Dodgers shortstop Gavin Lux tore the ACL in his right knee while he was running from second to third base during the sixth inning of the contest. He was subsequently carted off the field, and he is expected to miss the entirety of the 2023 campaign due to the injury.
Lux was slated to be the Dodgers’ everyday shortstop for the 2023 season following the departure of Trea Turner in free agency. With Lux out of the fold, Miguel Rojas, who the reigning National League West champions acquired from the Miami Marlins in January, is now projected to be their starting shortstop for this year.
With Lux’s ailment coupled with the relatively quiet offseason from Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, there has been some doubt over whether the NL West powerhouse will once again be among the teams to beat in baseball. From Friedman’s standpoint, he is welcoming those such doubters.
“I kind of like that people are writing us off some,” Friedman told the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. “I think it’s a really talented team that’s going to score a lot of runs and not give up a lot of runs. … I think we are a really well-balanced team that’s going to be really good.”
The Padres are viewed by many as the clear favorite to win the NL West this year, which does not concern Dodgers infielder Max Muncy at all.
“We still have one of the best teams in baseball,” Muncy told MLB Network Radio last month. “I know not everybody thinks so just because we didn’t go out and make big offseason moves, but that’s because we already have all the pieces in place. We made a couple additions to complement it.
“We’re still going to be one of the best teams in baseball. We can’t wait to get out there and prove it. If people don’t want to talk about us, that’s fine.”
The Dodgers will kick off their 2023 regular season schedule with a home matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 30.
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