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GLENDALE, Ariz. -- For months, the Dodgers have been adamant that Gavin Lux would be their starting shortstop in 2024, even coming off a major right knee and hamstring injury.

But after a couple of throwing errors and a few other bounced throws to first base during Cactus League games, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts sounded less committed on who will be the team’s starting shortstop once the team lands in Seoul, South Korea, in less than a week for the Opening Series against the Padres.

“I think with Gavin, the main thing, nobody can debate that the No. 1 goal for us is to win baseball games,” Roberts said. “So whatever we have to do -- conversations we have to have, support, we’ve got a lot of good players. Whatever we do is going to be in the best interest of winning. So for me, whether it’s the work he’s put in, the supporting of the throwing, all that stuff, that’s not going to change.”

Coming into the spring, perhaps the lone question marks on the Dodgers were about the defense on the left side of the infield. Max Muncy struggled defensively last season, and he came into camp 15 pounds lighter in hopes of improving at the position. For the most part, Muncy has looked better this spring, but he also played a key role in Yoshinobu Yamamoto getting let down by his defense on Wednesday.

As for Lux, the 26-year-old has been waiting for the chance to be the shortstop for years. Lux grew up playing shortstop and became one of the top prospects in MLB while playing the position. But with the Dodgers having Corey Seager and Trea Turner over the last few seasons, Lux had to wait his turn while playing second base.

Last season was supposed to be Lux’s chance, but he suffered a torn ACL, LCL and significant damage to his right hamstring during a Cactus League game, and the injury ended his season. Lux is getting another chance in 2024, but he's had some struggles this spring.

Lux’s first two defensive chances since getting back on the field both resulted in errors -- one throwing, one fielding. After the second miscue, Roberts said Lux needed to “give himself some grace,” given he hadn’t played in a competitive game in over a calendar year. On Wednesday, however, Lux was unable to make a pair of plays at short and was also saved from a few throwing errors by first baseman Freddie Freeman.

It’s not the first time in his career that Lux has had some struggles throwing across the diamond. It was an issue in 2019, but that was corrected over time. If those problems continue, though, the Dodgers will be forced to make some tough decisions.

“Obviously, performance is paramount at this level, and for our team vying to win a championship,” Roberts said. “So I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I do know that it will be in the vein of whatever gives us the best chance to win.”

While Roberts said “I don’t know” when asked if Lux would be the team’s starter at short on Opening Day, the organization does remain committed to Lux, and the expectation is he’ll be the starting shortstop until proven otherwise. He’ll continue to get trotted out at the position, as well as getting extra work on the back fields with third-base coach Dino Ebel.

There’s no real talk of acquiring a player from outside the organization, per sources -- at least not yet. Internally, however, the Dodgers do have Miguel Rojas, who is one of the best defensive shortstops in the Majors. Rojas is a significant upgrade on defense and a significant downgrade on offense compared to Lux, but on a team with plenty of other firepower in the lineup, there will be some short leashes if there’s defensive shortcomings out of any position.

“You’re talking about a pitching staff that strikes some guys out but also puts some balls in play,” Roberts said. “Could argue that shortstop and catcher are the most premium positions, and defense should be a priority.”