Dodgers shortstop Gavin Lux hurt his knee on Monday, and he immediately knew it was bad. An MRI revealed it was about as bad as it could be: His ACL is torn and he’s out for the season.
Lux’s teammates and fans rallied around him, and while it was difficult to watch how devastated the 25-year-old was, it was heartwarming to hear about the support he’s received.
One of those teammates who has reached out to Lux is superstar first baseman Freddie Freeman, who served as a mentor to Lux last year in his first season in Los Angeles. Freeman acknowledged how hard Lux has worked this offseason to get ready for the starting shortstop job.
“You feel bad for him, he worked so hard this offseason and in the spring too. It’s just tough.”
Freeman said he talked to Lux on the phone and then followed up with a FaceTime call.
“I texted him and then I FaceTimed him. It looked like he had just finished a little tear session, so I told him to cry a little bit more, there’s no need to be a tough guy right now. Your dream is to play baseball and it’s taken away from you for a year. Then I put Charlie [Freeman’s 6-year-old son] on the FaceTime to cheer him up a little bit, and he smiled, so that was working. Words sometimes can be little be more depressing so I just tried to cheer him up as best as I could.”
Freeman has always been in touch with his emotions, more than some local radio hosts are comfortable with. So it’s good Lux has a mentor like him to help him get through this trial. Baseball is the backdrop for what Lux is going through, but it’s a big deal in his life, and it’s important for him to know it’s okay to have emotions when life takes ugly turns.
And a little Charlie Freeman could cheer anyone up.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube Channel yet? Please subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest Dodgers news, rumors, interviews, live streams, and more all year long!
