{"id":580011,"date":"2026-02-18T22:35:03","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T22:35:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/580011\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T22:35:03","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T22:35:03","slug":"rays-newcomer-gavin-lux-excited-for-move-back-to-second-base","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/580011\/","title":{"rendered":"Rays newcomer Gavin Lux excited for move back to second base"},"content":{"rendered":"

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. \u2014 The Tampa Bay Rays traded away their longest-tenured, power-hitting second baseman, Brandon Lowe, over the offseason to the Pittsburgh Pirates. To fill that position at second base, the Rays brought in Gavin Lux.<\/p>\n

Lux won\u2019t replace the rare, raw power of Lowe, but he does offer a different skill set.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, he\u2019s the second-fastest second baseman to home runs ever,\u201d Lux said of Lowe.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrandon Lowe, two different players for sure,\u201d Rays manager Kevin Cash said. \u201cGavin Lux is a really good player and an established Major Leaguer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just think coming in here, doing my job, not trying to do anything I\u2019m not capable of and playing my game,\u201d Lux added.<\/p>\n

Lux\u2019s game is getting on base. Last season, his on-base percentage of .350 would have ranked third-best on the Rays, and his 28 doubles would have tied Junior Caminero for second on the team.<\/p>\n

But what Lux is most excited about is his return to second base after playing left field for the Reds last season.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year I played a lot of outfield, which was new to me,\u201d Lux said. \u201cI think getting back on the dirt, when I found out about the trade, I was really excited for that piece of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also excited about helping this return to the playoffs after two straight losing seasons. Lux has experience in high-pressure games, having won a World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlayoffs are so much fun to be a part of,\u201d Lux said. \u201cWhatever I can do to help in the clubhouse and in the dugout and on the field. Hopefully get us there, that\u2019s what I am looking forward to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rays fans are also thrilled about the return of baseball. Many of them lined the fence to watch the team take batting practice and run through drills at Charlotte Sports Park.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of love for this team, and you can see it,\u201d Rays fan Kevin Ries said. \u201cPeople of all ages. The Rays are a big part of the community and it\u2019s really cool with everyone coming out and supporting them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that the fans can get this close to their favorite players, too, is such a treat,\u201d Rays fan Charlie Ries added. \u201cTo be able to come out and watch them train, it\u2019s super-inspiring.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lux and the Rays will play their first game of spring training this Saturday against the Atlanta Braves.<\/p>\n

Share Your Story with Kyle Burger

For Tampa Bay 28 Sports Anchor Kyle Burger, pride in our local teams goes beyond college and the pros. Sports connect us as communities and families. You can connect with Kyle to share your passion for your local athletes below.
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Son remembers mother who was one of four victims killed at Sarasota County home<\/p>\n

Olga Greinert was one of four people shot and killed at a home in Sarasota County on February 10. Eldar Greinert, Olga’s youngest child, recounts to Tampa Bay 28 reporter Julie Salomone the moments deputies broke the news of her death. <\/p>\n

Teenage son remembers mother who was one of four victims killed at Sarasota County home<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. \u2014 The Tampa Bay Rays traded away their longest-tenured, power-hitting second baseman, Brandon Lowe, over…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":580012,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2377],"tags":[10117,10118,5,4,297,2550,68,10119,2551,2549,10120,10121],"class_list":["post-580011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa-bay-rays","tag-abc-action-news","tag-abc-action-news-sports","tag-baseball","tag-mlb","tag-rays","tag-tampa-bay","tag-tampa-bay-rays","tag-tampa-bay-sports","tag-tampabay","tag-tampabayrays","tag-wfts","tag-wfts-sports"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116094025148728297","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/580011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=580011"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/580011\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/580012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=580011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=580011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=580011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}