GOODYEAR, Ariz. — That first time walking past a mirror in his new uniform had to be a shock for Gavin Lux.
“Hey, I think I look kinda good in red,” Lux said with a laugh, resplendent in his new Cincinnati Reds uniform. “But when you wear one jersey for so long and one color, for sure, you kind of do a little double take. But I think I look good in red.”
Lux was confronted with his recent past Monday afternoon, facing the Dodgers in a Cactus League game. Their first-round draft pick in 2016, top prospect in their system on the way up to the majors and starting second baseman on their World Series championship team last fall, Lux was in the opposing dugout looking at his former teammates.
“It’s pretty surreal, going and seeing all the guys you won a World Series with on the other side. But it’s pretty cool at the same time,” he said after the game.
“I saw Munc (Max Muncy), Teo (Hernandez). (Alex) Vesia gave me a wink after he got me to fly out,” Lux said. “Good relationships. A lot of love for everyone that is still over there. That stuff doesn’t change. You build bonds over years. You never lose those connections with people.”
Lux was no stranger to trade rumors. That made it less of a shock when it finally happened. After the Dodgers signed South Korean infielder Hyeseong Kim this offseason, Lux found himself thinking “Oh, okay, maybe there’s a chance” it would really happen this time. Kim was primarily a second baseman in Korea (and a perennial All-Star at the position) – though the Dodgers are using him around the field this spring.
“Obviously you still don’t really expect it after being in one place for so long. But at the same time, it is a business,” Lux said. “They have to do what’s best for them. And I think they did me a solid by getting me to a place that has the expectation of winning and Tito (Terry Francona) is running the show, which is fantastic. He’s one of the most well-respected managers in the game. So I think they did me a favor by sending me to a place where I think they think I can help.”
The Reds are loaded with young infielders. Matt McLain (second base) and Elly De La Cruz (shortstop) seem to have Lux’s primary positions locked down so he has been getting time at third base (including Monday’s game).
The Dodgers also moved Lux around when he first came up to the majors, even playing him in the outfield in 2021.
“I think I’ll kind of bounce around a little bit. That’s what I’ve been told,” he said. “We’re going to kind of figure it out as we go. I have no problem bouncing around, doing whatever I have to do to help win or just to get at-bats. Wherever it is, it doesn’t matter to me.
“I actually played against a lot of these guys in the minor leagues. A lot of them are right around my age, so I played against them in the showcase circuit and stuff in high school. Honestly, it wasn’t too much of an adjustment. It’s a lot of guys right around my age and it’s a really fun clubhouse to be a part of.”
MILLER IMPROVING
For a couple of days this weekend, there was a silver Gulfstream parked outside the Dodgers’ clubhouse at Camelback Ranch. Inside was an Ammortal Chamber – a wellness technology that uses red light, sound and other therapies to promote relaxation and, for athletes, recovery.
The company is driving to all of the MLB spring camps in Arizona demonstrating the technology and a number of Dodgers players tested it out – including pitcher Bobby Miller, who said his headache was gone after reclining in the chamber for a 15-minute session.
Miller was struck in the head by a line drive during Thursday’s game and said Monday morning that his concussion symptoms had worsened on Saturday but were now gone. He was cleared to begin playing catch during Monday’s workout.
“You sort of have to get back on the horse and I think he is of that mind,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “When you start layering on having to get back on the mound, facing a hitter – that is another hurdle, I’m assuming. We’re going to support him. But I’m confident he’s going to be just fine.”
FREDDIE FORM
First baseman Freddie Freeman has progressed enough in his recovery from offseason ankle surgery that he took live batting practice against a minor-league pitcher during Monday’s workout and could be in the lineup for his first game action of the spring on Thursday against the Colorado Rockies.
“The running, he’s passed all those check marks,” Roberts said. “Jumping and coming down on the ankle is something we just don’t feel 100 percent yet so he’s going to test that out.
“But the hitting, the running, fielding the grounders we feel real good about.”
Will Smith has also been dealing with an ankle injury this spring. Roberts said Smith is on track to make his Cactus League debut Thursday or Friday this week.
ALSO
Roki Sasaki is scheduled to pitch two innings in a ‘B’ game against minor-leaguers from the Chicago White Sox camp on Tuesday. It will be his first game action of the spring. … Reliever Evan Phillips threw his second bullpen session of the spring on Monday. He is progressing in his recovery from a shoulder injury last October.