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Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Gavin Lux will miss the 2023 season with a torn ACL in his right knee.

Manager Dave Roberts said that Lux is “obviously crushed” and that the injury is “a huge blow” to the Dodgers, who were anticipating that the former top prospect would be their starting shortstop this season.

“That’s one of the hardest parts,” Lux said Tuesday, while fighting back tears and leaning on crutches inside the team’s facility in Glendale, Arizona. “I think every baseball player’s dream is to play shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers.”

Roberts told reporters that Lux also suffered damage to his LCL and will undergo surgery March 7.

Lux suffered the injury and was carted off the field Monday after running between second and third base during Los Angeles’ spring game against San Diego. After ducking to avoid a throw, Lux took a couple of steps before his right knee buckled and he stumbled forward and fell to the ground. He said he felt something pop and his leg went numb.

“I tried to duck out of the way of the throw, and I think my cleat got kind of stuck into the ground a little bit and straightened out a little funky, and bowed out,” Lux said. “I kind of rolled up on my ankle, too.

“Freak thing, I don’t even think it’s really avoidable. In hindsight, probably should have just took the throw to the nose and worn it.”

Veteran Miguel Rojas is expected to handle the bulk of the playing time at shortstop, according to Roberts, who also mentioned Chris Taylor as a potential candidate at the position.

Rojas said earlier Tuesday that he is prepared to handle a larger role for the Dodgers but that he feels bad for Lux, who had been “working his ass off to get ready for the season to be the every-day shortstop for this team.”

“He’s a big part of this club,” Rojas told reporters. “I just feel bad for him that he has to go through whatever he’s going to have to go through.”

Lux said he plans to “crush his rehab” and be ready to return in 2024.

“It’s kind of all you can do,” he said.

Lux, 25, is in his fifth year with the Dodgers after being drafted by Los Angeles in 2016. He played a career-high 129 games last season, batting a career-best .276 while leading the National League with seven triples and adding six home runs and 42 RBIs.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who lost his starting job earlier this week, will not be returning to the team, he announced Thursday night.

Castellanos, who started 12 games last season and retained the top job under new coach Bill O’Brien, wrote on X that “unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like.” He did not mention the transfer portal in his departing message and has not officially entered it. The junior from Waycross, Georgia, started his career at UCF and appeared in five games in 2022.

O’Brien said Tuesday that Grayson James, who replaced Castellanos in last week’s win against Syracuse, will start Saturday when Boston College visits No. 14 SMU. Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled” with the decision, O’Brien said, adding that the quarterback decided to step away from the team for several days.

Castellanos had 2,248 passing yards and 1,113 rushing yards last season under coach Jeff Hafley, passing for 15 touchdowns and adding 13 on the ground. He had 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season, but his accuracy dipped in recent weeks, and he completed only 2 of 7 passes against Syracuse before being replaced.

In his statement, Castellanos thanked both coaching staffs he played for at Boston College and wrote that he had “some of the best experiences of my life in the Eagles Nest and I will truly cherish these memories forever.”

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Gators’ Lagway ‘ready to play,’ will start vs. LSU

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Gators' Lagway 'ready to play,' will start vs. LSU

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is “ready to play,” coach Billy Napier said Thursday on his weekly radio show.

Napier removed Lagway from the team’s injury report and penciled him in to start against No. 21 LSU in the Swamp on Saturday.

Lagway practiced every day this week while progressing from a strained left hamstring. The highly touted freshman was carted off the field against Georgia on Nov. 2. Tests revealed a “less significant” injury than initially feared, and now he’s back in time to face the Tigers.

The Gators (4-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) need him. They have to win two of their final three regular-season games to become bowl eligible.

LSU (6-3, 3-2) has struggled mightily against dual-threat QBs, including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns last week.

Lagway returns after walk-on and Yale transfer Aidan Warner started in his place against Texas. Warner threw two interceptions and was 12-of-25 passing for 132 yards in a 49-17 loss.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

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Georgia leading rusher Etienne ruled out vs. Vols

No. 12 Georgia will be without leading rusher Trevor Etienne for Saturday’s showdown against No. 7 Tennessee.

Etienne was downgraded from questionable to out on Thursday night’s SEC availability report.

Etienne left Georgia’s win over Florida with an upper-body injury on Nov. 2 and did not return. He played limited snaps in last week’s 28-10 loss at Ole Miss, carrying the ball six times for 24 yards.

Etienne leads the Bulldogs with 477 rushing yards and seven touchdowns this season.

The loss is another blow to Georgia’s banged-up backfield. Cash Jones is also listed as questionable while Branson Robinson remains out after missing the past three games with a knee injury.

That leaves true freshman Nate Frazier as the only healthy Bulldogs running back who has played meaningful snaps this year. Frazier is second on the team with 333 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

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