MLB Playoffs: Dodgers Infielder Leaves Game 1 of NLCS With Injury

Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux left Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Sunday with hip flexor tightness in a precautionary move, according to the Dodgers.

Lux went 0 for 1 with a walk and scored a run on Shohei Ohtani’s third-inning single. It’s unclear how he suffered the injury, but Lux was removed after grounding out in the fifth inning and playing an uneventful inning at second base in the sixth.

Lux also laid down a sacrifice bunt in the fourth inning. The Dodgers won Game 1, 9-0, to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven NLDS.

Kevin Kiermaier took Lux’s place in the lineup, batting eighth and playing center field. Kiké Hernández moved in from center field to take over at second base.

Lux is hitting .263 (5 for 19) in six postseason games for the Dodgers.

The regular season was a healthy one for Lux, who missed all of last season with a major knee injury. His recovery from a torn ACL and MCL in spring training in Feb. 2023 bled into 2024. Lux struggled at shortstop in spring training, was moved to second base, and was struggling to hit his weight for much of the first half of the season.

But he hit .309 with a .396 OBP and .517 slugging percentage from July 20 onward, a span of 60 games.

Lux went 5 for 18 (.278) with three runs in the Dodgers’ five-game NLDS victory over the San Diego Padres.

More news: Dodgers Set NL Postseason Record for Most Consecutive Scoreless Innings

The Dodgers entered the series having thrown 24 consecutive scoreless innings to eliminate the Padres. Their shutout win matched the 1905 New York Giants for the longest streak of consecutive scoreless innings, at 33.

For more MLB postseason news, visit Newsweek Sports.