Mookie Betts to Be Dodgers' Starting Shortstop over Gavin Lux, Dave Roberts Says

Mookie Betts will replace Gavin Lux as the Los Angeles Dodgers' shortstop for 2024.

The decision is "permanent, for now," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

Veteran Miguel Rojas took over the shortstop position for the Dodgers last year as Lux missed the 2023 season due to a knee injury.

Roberts cited Lux's defense at second base, where he played while Trea Turner took the shortstop position in 2022, as a reason for the switch.

Although he became a star as an outfielder, Betts moved to second base for the Dodgers last season.

Lux will now man second base while Betts takes over at short stop, according to Ardaya.

Because of the addition of Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers were unable to slot Lux in at DH in order to keep him in the batting lineup. The switch was made to give him plate appearances while relaxing some responsibilities on defense, according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.

The Dodgers informed Lux and Betts of the change Thursday, per Plunkett.

Lux batted .276/.346/.399 in 2022 while leading the NL with seven triples, but defensive struggles during his return from injury have held the Dodgers back from committing to him as an everyday shortstop, per ESPN's Field Level Media.

This spring, Lux was "showing issues throwing the ball on target to first base after doing the same when playing at second base in recent seasons," per ESPN.

Rojas, who has been working with Lux this offseason, said earlier this week that he thinks Lux's "internal clock is off," per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.

"He doesn't know how much time he has to get the guy out at first base or if he's gonna be late. It's a weird feeling, and I understand him… because I suffer from the same thing," Rojas said, per DiGiovanna.

While playing behind Cory Seager in 2021 and Turner in 2022, Lux accumulated just 50 Dodgers starts at shortstop, according to DiGiovanna.

That limited major-league shortstop experience, as well as Lux's two errors in eight Spring Training games, may have led to Rogers' decision to instead place the Dodgers' seven-time All-Star and former MVP at the position on Opening Day.