Mookie Betts shared his advice on the pitch with Gavin Lux

The Los Angeles Dodgers saw AJ Pollock return to the 10-day injured list this week, but still needed Gavin Lux in the outfield because Chris Taylor was relieved of a lingering neck problem.

The 23-year-old was recalled from the Oklahoma City Triple-A on September 10 and has started 10 of the last 13 games at left field. The other three games saw Lux make starts from the middle of the field.

An infielder by training, Lux is learning to play left field on the fly as there was no professional experience prior to the 2021 season. Mookie Betts has gone through a similar transition and is now looking to help his teammate.

“Obviously the outfield is so different from the infield, so just try to help it get through some of the growing pains that all outfield players end up going through once you go from the infield to the outfield. “Betts said of the advice he gave Lux.

“I just told him to play aggressive and he can catch the ball too. It was pretty much it. He swung the bat really well and helped us get down (out of the lineup). It was huge for us.

Apart from a collision with Cody Bellinger which resulted in an undisplaced fracture of former National League MVP to left ribs, Lux’s the transition to the outfield was relatively seamless.

It has not yet logged an error and recently showed tremendous speed and instincts to make a running catch in the central field.

Betts used their own experience to help Lux

While Betts have played the majority of their games at right field this season, they also occasionally see time at second base to help them deal with their hip issues. “It’s super tough, especially in the middle of a season,” Betts said of the position changes.

“Some things he has to learn on his own. It’s not like a list of things to go through. This is largely due to experience. I told him to expect growing pains, but that’s how you learn.

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