The next man up is good enough for the Los Angeles Dodgers — at least in the eyes of oddsmakers.
Losing a starting shortstop for the season in spring training would be a major setback for most World Series contenders, but the Dodgers’ futures remained unchanged after Gavin Lux suffered a torn ACL in his right knee.
Several sportsbooks told Field Level Media their oddsmakers did not shift the Dodgers’ odds after manager Dave Roberts confirmed Lux is expected to miss the season. Los Angeles is +700 to win the World Series at BetRivers, +750 at BetMGM and +850 at DraftKings, where their Over/Under regular-season win total is 95.5.
Lux, 25, was expected to be the Dodgers’ starting shortstop after the departure of Trea Turner in free agency. He played a career-high 129 games last season, primarily at second base, and batted a career-high .276 with a National League-leading seven triples and 42 RBIs.
Miguel Rojas, who was acquired in an offseason trade with the Miami Marlins, is expected to assume the bulk of the playing time at shortstop, with Chris Taylor also in the mix.
Rojas, 34, batted .236 with six homers and 36 RBIs in 140 games last season, his eighth with the Marlins. Rojas is a career .260/.314/.358 hitter with 39 homers and 269 RBIs for the Dodgers (2014) and Marlins.
Known for his versatility defensively, Rojas does have 719 appearances at shortstop.
“For me, this is what I’ve been preparing for,” he said. “I’ve been playing shortstop every day for the last four, five years of my career. I went into the offseason thinking that I need to prepare for 162 games and here it is.
“I see here’s an opportunity that I’m not going to take for granted. I know what I have to do to be part of a winning team. I’m looking forward to this opportunity and to actually post every single day and be ready to contribute as much as I can to win the World Series.”
Lux was carted off the field Monday after injuring the knee running the bases in a spring training game against the San Diego Padres in Peoria, Ariz. He’s scheduled to undergo surgery on March 7 in Los Angeles.
In parts of four major league seasons with the Dodgers, Lux is a career .253 hitter with 18 homers and 105 RBIs in 273 games.
“Gavin is obviously crushed. It’s a huge blow,” Roberts said Tuesday. “My heart goes out to him — all of ours does.”
–Field Level Media
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