Los Angeles Dodgers fans devastated as Gavin Lux lost for season with ACL tear: "F***ing awful," "The Padres have already won the World Series"

The worst fears of Los Angeles Dodgers fans were realized Tuesday as manager Dave Roberts told the media that shortstop Gavin Lux is out for the season with a torn ACL.

Lux was carted off the field in Monday's Spring Training game against the San Diego Padres, suffering the injury as he ran to third base on an infield grounder.

Lux's right leg bent awkwardly as he attempted to evade the throw of Padres' third baseman Jantzen Witte while running between second and third base on an infield chopper off the bat of Luke Williams. Lux tripped and rolled into third, clutching his right knee in pain.

Lux could not put any weight on his leg, requiring assistance to get onto the cart before he was driven off the field.

Most fans that saw the incident immediately concluded that Lux had a serious knee injury that would leave the team without its starting shortstop for the long term. Roberts confirmed the suspicions Tuesday, saying that losing Lux for the entirety of the 2023 season is a "huge blow" to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Los Angeles has finished first in the National League Western Division in nine of the last 10 seasons. However, upon the loss of Lux, many Dodgers fans were ready to bequeath the division crown—if not more—to the Padres.

Lux, entering his fifth big league season with the Dodgers, has played both infield and outfield over his previous four campaigns. However, with the consecutive free-agent departures of Corey Seager and Trea Turner in the past two offseasons, Lux was the heir apparent to take over as the Dodgers' everyday shortstop this season. As distraught as Los Angeles fans were for their team, there was also an outpouring of emotion for Lux himself.

While fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers' top all-time nemesis, the San Francisco Giants, are expressing their sympathy, some injuries are bigger than rivalry.

Gavin Lux was an up-and-comer for Los Angeles Dodgers

Lux had been on a steady climb of improvement over his four seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers. After hitting .240 in a 23-game big-league debut in 2019, Lux hit .276 with a National League-leading seven triples in 2022. He played 102 games at second base last season, 28 games in left field, and just nine at shortstop.

About the author

Born in Minneapolis, Minn., Tom has covered sports since 2004. Tom grew up a fan of the Chicago Cubs because his dad didn't like the hometown Twins playing indoors. He goes to Wrigley Field several times a year. His favorite sports moment was being at Wrigley when the Cubs won the 2016 National League Pennant.

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