"Taking baby steps forward" - Gavin Lux reflects on slump-breaking performance in Dodgers' rout of Nationals

Luck hasn’t been on Gavin Lux’s side for a while now. He was set to be the Los Angeles Dodgers' starting shortstop entering 2023 until a season-ending knee injury derailed those plans.

Lux hoped that 2024 would be the year he finally became the Dodgers’ everyday starting shortstop, but his defensive struggles saw him get dropped entirely from that position.

As a result, he was moved to second base, but his struggles continued, until last night. Lux notched two runs against the Washington Nationals to stretch the Dodgers’ lead to 6-2 in the fifth. It was Lux’s first multi-hit game since March 30.

Lux’s injury kept him off the field for an entire year. However, the Dodgers second baseman is now looking forward to building up momentum once again and being back in form.

In an interview with SportsNet LA, Gavin Lux reflected on his slump-breaking performance against the Nationals.

“But yeah, it’s been a little bit of grinding to start the year," Lux said. "So just to have a decent game, get a couple barrels on a ball, move the ball forward in the air. Just keep taking baby steps forward over the course.”

Talking about how he is dealing with things post-injury, Lux said:

“Every day I feel like there’s a new position or pushing off, or getting in a different spot, where it’s just continuing to build confidence on the knee and that's part of the process. It’s not going to happen overnight. So, every day is like a new opportunity to do something I didn’t do for a whole year. So, that’s the way I’m looking at it, just got to be process-oriented right now.”

Gavin Lux is coming out of his slump

During the Dodgers’ 11-2 rout of the Nationals on Wednesday, Lux seemed to be finding his best form for the first time in several weeks.

Lux appeared to have regained some of his pre-injury momentum. His defense seems to have improved, too, which drew praise from manager Dave Roberts. Speaking about Lux’s performance to Sportsnet LA after the game, Roberts said:

“Defensively, he’s been rock solid [...] I would like to think that tonight is something he can build on for days going forward.”

Missing an entire season owing to an injury is extremely difficult. As is resuming form after being seated out for an entire year. But Gavin Lux has everything in his arsenal to put together a string of such performances and build some much-needed confidence.