The Los Angeles Dodgers have more than enough firepower to win their first World Series since 1988, and they have even more talent waiting in the minor leagues. Even though they have the best record in baseball with a month remaining in the regular season, we may still see one of their top prospects in action come September.
The Dodgers are considering calling up top prospect Gavin Lux when rosters expand in September, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Lux, an infielder, is the No. 10 prospect in all of baseball, and he has been ripping the cover off the ball in Triple-A to the tune of a .407 batting average with 12 home runs and a 1.240 OPS in 182 plate appearances. The Dodgers probably don’t want to call up the 21-year-old if he’s not going to play, and there has been some concern about whether there would be enough at-bats for Lux, Chris Taylor and Kiké Hernández.
One team official told Rosenthal that the Dodgers could find ways to get all of their players enough at-bats even with Lux on the active roster. Lux is primarily a shortstop but can also play second base.
September call-ups are considered an important time for prospects to become familiar with life at the MLB level, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has said catcher Will Smith’s time with the team late last season helped him become a major contributor this year. The team could take the same approach with Lux.
The Dodgers did not make any major moves at the trade deadline this year, and part of the reason for that was they did not want to part with Lux or one of their other top prospects. Lux could see regular playing time as early as 2020, when Rosenthal says the Dodgers will explore the option of moving Max Muncy to first base.
