There is no denying that Monday’s breaking news that Dodgers two-time All-Star, two-time silver slugger, and 2016 National League Rookie of the Year Corey Seager will miss the remainder of the 2018 due to a sprained right ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow that will require Tommy John surgery was both devastating and, judging by social media, extremely depressing for Dodger fans around the world.

I mean let’s face it, in spite of their early-season offensive woes, Seager was among the Dodgers most consistent hitters with his .267 / .348 / .396 / .744 slash-line; not over-the-top numbers, but not bad for a team with a combined .247 batting average. And then there were his two early-season home runs and 13 RBI – tied for second most on the team behind Yasmani Grandal‘s team-leading 20.

Shortly after the Seager news broke, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told members of the media that utility infielder / outfielder Chris Taylor was going to get the lion’s share of playing time at shortstop, with super utility player Kiké Hernandez filling in for Taylor in center field, along with occasional appearances by a suddenly red hot Joc Pederson, Matt Kemp, and soon-to-be 22-year-old (on May 15) outfielder Alex Verdugo.

That being said, during Monday night’s equally depressing 8-5 loss to the NL West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks, Taylor committed a very costly two-out error as Seager’s replacement that resulted in a Dbacks run. This was followed by Tuesday night’s heartbreaking 4-3 loss  due to yet another bullpen failure.

Interestingly enough, earlier in the day on Monday, 20-year-old Rancho Cucamonga Quakes shortstop Gavin Lux was named the California League’s Player of the Week for the Dodgers Advanced Single-A affiliate for his very impressive .417 / .517 / .708 / 1.225 slash line during the week of April 23 – 29. He also slugged one home run and four doubles, while collecting five walks and driving in six runs. For good measure, the speedy infielder also stole a base during the week.

There is no argument that at only 20 years old and currently assigned to the Advanced Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, it would be a huge gamble to have Gavin Lux fill in for Corey Seager, but it might at least be worth a look. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka_

For those who may not be familiar Lux, he was selected by the Dodgers in the first round of the 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Indian Trail High School in his hometown of Kenosha, Wisconsin. After being drafted, the 6′-2″ / 190-pound left-handed hitting / right-handed throwing shortstop (sound familiar?) Lux split time between the Arizona Rookie League Dodgers and Pioneer Rookie League Ogden Raptors, where he went a combined 41-for-223 at the plate for a very impressive .298 batting average.

Lux spent the entire 2017 with the Great Lakes Loons of the Low Single-A Midwest League where his offensive numbers slipped a bit, posting a .244 batting average. However, he did slug five home runs with the Loons while driving in 31 runs. But perhaps of greater interest, he also stole 27 bases while being caught 10 times.

During his season at Great Lakes, Lux saw his first professional action at second base, at which he played 43 games (as opposed to the 65 games he played at shortstop). As a second baseman, he made five errors in 190 chances for a .974 fielding percentage, whereas he made 19 errors in 284 chances at the much more difficult shortstop position for a .933 FPCT.

Although it is extremely rare for a kid at the Advanced Single-A level to make it all the way up to the bigs in the same season, it has happened before for the Dodgers. During the 2017 season, right-hander and fellow first-rounder Walker Buehler began the season at Rancho Cucamonga and was a September 1 call-up to the Dodgers that same season, having also spent time at Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City.

But to be brutally honest, it is highly unlikely that with Chris Taylor and Kiké Hernandez already on the Dodgers 25-man roster (and Monday’s call-up of utility infielder / outfielder Breyvic Valera), and with guys named Rob Segedin, Tim Locastro, and Jake Peter at Triple-A OKC, and guys named Mike Ahmed and Errol Robinson at Double-A Tulsa, there are quite a few more viable – and realistic – options for Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi before getting to Gavin Lux.

There is one caveat that plays well for Lux. In addition to his recent Cal League Player of the Week honors, he also appeared in eight games with the major league Dodgers this past spring, all as a shortstop. During those eight games and under the watchful eyes of Friedman, Zaidi, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, Lux went 2-for-4 at the plate (.500) with a triple, two walks, and a stolen base. On the other side of the ball, he did not commit an error in five chances, for a 1.000 FPCT, so he’s got that going for him.

But here again, although it is a bit of a stretch to envision Gavin Lux making it from LoanMart Field in Rancho Cucamonga to Dodger Stadium during the 2018 season, it has happened before. A good indication that it might … might happen again with the Dodgers 13th overall prospect is whether or not he gets promoted to the Tulsa Drillers and subsequently to the OKC Dodgers in the relatively near future.

“Obviously it’s tough losing a player like Seager, he does it all, so it’s tough,” said Lux. “But going forward, personally I’m just going to keep going with my development and not worry about any of that. Whatever happens, happens.

“I’m just going out and playing and competing and just let everything take care of itself. Obviously Seager is one of a kind, it’s tough to see. I feel for him.”

Then again, if Lux keeps getting these Player of the Week things, it won’t be a matter of if we will see him under the lights at Dodger Stadium, but rather a matter of when.