Former top prospect and two-time World Series champion Gavin Lux was brought over to the Cincinnati Reds on a one-year, $3.325 million contract. He has performed essentially as expected, while handling a true utility role for the first time in his career.
With the second half of the season well underway and the Reds looking for a postseason push, Gavin Lux is in the midst of this stretch. Looking ahead, however, begs the question: should Cincinnati bring him back for next season, or let him walk to another franchise?
Reds Face Offseason Decision on Gavin Lux
Lux’s 2025 Performance
On the season, Lux has been worth exactly 0.0 bWAR in 97 games this year. He has taken on the role of an everyday utility man, splitting time in left field, second base, and third base.
Offensively, he has been solid as he is slashing .272/.358/.374 for a .732 OPS and 100 OPS+. His plate discipline has been the best it’s ever been.
18.9 Chase% — 96th percentile
21.6 Whiff% — 67th percentile
23.1 K% — 40th percentile
11.8 BB% — 83rd percentile
His offensive philosophy is more on the old-school side, as he has just four home runs on the season, with a spray chart that spreads all around the field. By definition, he is a light-hitting, walk-drawing hitter.
Gavin Lux #WALKOFF single! pic.twitter.com/kotmPOVSlf
— MLB (@MLB) June 25, 2025
An issue that has arisen this year, however, is his defense. He has been tasked to handle a few positions that he has never truly had to in the past, and it has not been pretty.
Lux’s Defensive Issues
The natural second baseman has been all around the field this year.
LF — 43 games played
DH — 36
2B — 11
3B — 6
With the second base role carved out for Matt McLain (who’s having a poor season, a story for another day), Lux has found himself manning left field for the majority of the season. Unfortunately for him and the team, it is his worst position.
2B — 79 1/3 innings — (-1 DRS)
3B — 32 innings — (0 DRS)
LF — 320 1/3 innings — (-6 DRS)
His reads off the bat in left field have been detrimental to the team at times, often coming during clutch situations. While some of the blame could be placed on him, the majority of the blame has to be put on the organization, which knowingly put him in left field with the knowledge that he isn’t the best choice out there.
Out-of-position players are usually accepted due to their otherworldly offense outweighing their negative impact on defense. In Lux’s case, however, his 100 OPS+ is not bad, but is simply not good enough to justify his poor defense out in left field.
For a team like the Reds, who rely heavily on their pitching staff to drag them to the finish line, defense has to be a priority. The more runs the defense can save for the pitching staff, the more wins the team will accrue.
Should Cincinnati Bring Back Lux?
This brings us to the ultimate question. Should the Reds re-sign Gavin Lux?
It is a difficult question to answer, as his performance is well worth the cheap price tag of $3.325 million, but there is no true role for him on the team.
If the Reds bring him back, it will likely be on a similar contract. They would be crazy to slot him as an everyday left fielder again, but second and third bae are occupied by Matt McLain and Ke’Bryan Hayes.
McLain is a highly touted piece for Cincinnati who broke out in 2023 for the squad. He missed the entirety of 2024 with a shoulder injury and is back to an everyday role in 2025. He has struggled mightily at the plate this season, but the organization still believes in his ability to bounce back. McLain’s defense is also strong, much better than Lux’s league average metrics there.
On the off chance that McLain once again struggles mightily at the plate in 2026, there is a possibility that Lux becomes the everyday second baseman. This is an unlikely scenario, so let’s pivot to third base.
The newly acquired Hayes is currently the everyday third baseman. He is and has been the best defender in baseball, something GM Nick Karl valued immensely. Despite his awful offense, it is unlikely that the Reds will move him off the position for Gavin Lux, who isn’t a natural third baseman.
This leaves his only possible role as an everyday DH, if the Reds decide to bring him back. This would obviously be an insane decision, and the Reds prefer to use the DH position as a rotating door anyway, slotting in either one of their catchers on their day off, and/or guys who are half resting due to an injury.
The Last Word
Despite Lux living up to his role this year and doing his part at the plate, it would be difficult to envision a likely scenario where retaining his services would be valuable to the 2026 Cincinnati Reds.
Main Photo Credit: © Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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