Rays Have a LUX-ury of Options at Second Base

Didn’t like that pun in the headline? That’s alright; hopefully the article is better. The Tampa Bay Rays seem to have a second baseman in mind for the season. They traded for Gavin Lux in the Josh Lowe deal. Lowe was sent to the Los Angeles Angels, and in turn, the Rays received the former top Los Angeles Dodgers prospect from the Cincinnati Reds. While the team likely views Lux as the answer at second versus right-handed pitching, he struggles mightily against lefties. He’s also nowhere close to a sure thing to be good, even in that specific role. So who are the other options, and what does Lux even bring to the table to begin with?

Rays Have Several Options at Second Base This Season

Gavin Lux

To put it plainly: Lux is good against righties, but is horrible versus left-handed pitching. Which makes sense, as lefties like Lux tend to do that, but even his splits are a bit extreme. Over his career, he’s posted a 109 wRC+ versus right-handed pitching and a 54 wRC+ against lefties.

He’s good in the long-sided platoon role, and he does so mostly through good contact and on-base ability. However, his power is limited. Even against righties, his ISO is .137. Not awful, but a massive drop off from the mainstay of the past few years at second, Brandon Lowe.

Gavin Lux will have some big shoes to fill at second base here in Tampa. 3rd team in 3 years, the 2024 World Series Series champ will look be a key guy in this lineup. #raysup @WFLA pic.twitter.com/vSeGxAjMQ9

— Jeff Dubrof (@JeffDubrofTV) February 17, 2026

In the field, Lux has been pretty bad. Not Lowe-level bad, to the point he might end up as the worst defensive second baseman in baseball, but certainly not good. He’s been a negative in OAA over his past two seasons at second. There was a reason the Reds moved him to a corner outfield spot, and even that didn’t go well. Lux had a -5 DRS in left last year in Cincinnati.

Including his average baserunning, Lux provides enough offensive value overall to make up for his lackluster defense and average defense. But who will supplant him versus lefties if he becomes unplayable?

Richie Palacios

Richie P’s struggles to stay healthy make him a difficult player to evaluate. However, he posts interesting reverse splits versus lefties, as he thrives against same-handed pitching. That makes him a perfect candidate to replace Lux at second base against southpaws.

Richie Palacios is similar to Lux in that he lacks any meaningful power but gets on base at a high clip. He has great process numbers in terms of chase rates and contact percentages. So while he won’t hit a bunch of homers or slug at a high rate, he’ll get on base enough to be a regularly competitive at-bat.

There isn’t quite enough sample size to say with any certainty how good defensively he is at second, but it’s fair to say the returns haven’t been disastrous. Plus, over 92 games played in 2024 he was a good baserunner, earning 3.1 BSR that season. So Palacios has as good a shot as anyone to be the running mate with Lux at the second base position for 2026.

Ryan Vilade

This gets into a more weird place for the Rays’ second base spot. Ryan Vilade is likely more of a corner outfielder than an infielder, but he’s played enough in the past to make him an interesting choice in a pinch. He hasn’t played any major league innings there, but did so enough last season (over 100 innings at Triple-A for the Reds) to make it a remote possibility.

Vilade feels like a classic Rays pickup, in that he’s mashed at the Triple-A level for a while now, but hasn’t been able to put anything together in the majors. He can get an easier path to playing time in right field, but his versatility could loom large if Lux or Palacios struggle or get hurt. Both are, unfortunately, distinct possibilities, as both players have missed significant time in recent years.

Vilade has far more power than Lux or Palacios, but has more whiff and chase in his performance. That was also all at Triple-A last year, with Vilade earning limited playing time in the bigs.

So this feels more like a long shot than the other two candidates, but the Rays have shown a proclivity to making outside-the-box thinking work out in the strangest places.