The Los Angeles Dodgers made a move to bolster their infield depth earlier this month by acquiring Miguel Rojas from the Miami Marlins in exchange for prospect Jacob Amaya.
It marked a reunion as Rojas previously played for the Dodgers during the 2014 season and famously made a terrific stop at third base to preserve Clayton Kershaw’s no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies.
Rojas had served as the Marlins’ primary shortstop over the last few years and is coming off his worst season that saw him hit just .237/.282/.324 in 140 games. The 33-year-old played through a right wrist injury, however, which required surgery when the regular season concluded.
After being traded to the Dodgers, Rojas hinted that a second procedure was necessary. During an appearance on Jomboy Media’s “The Chris Rose Rotation,” Rojas revealed that he underwent an operation to remove a bone growth from his right wrist:
“What happened with this new thing that I had to do, we found an extra piece of bone that was growing on my wrist. So they had to take it out because it was bothering me when swinging the bat. It didn’t actually restrict me when hitting, but I didn’t want to start the season with pain. I’ve played through pain before and I know how it is. I don’t think early January is a time to play through pain, so to me, it was necessary to take care of this right now so I can be 100% and fully healthy for Spring Training, WBC and then to play for the Dodgers the whole year.”
With full-squad Spring Training workouts commencing in three weeks, it makes sense that Rojas wanted to have his second wrist surgery now in order to be completely healthy by the time he reports to Camelback Ranch.
Rojas has committed to playing for Team Venezuela in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and should be a factor on the Dodgers this year, mostly likely as a valuable option off the bench to fill in at multiple positions.
Miguel Rojas helping mentor Dodgers prospects
As Rojas prepares for his second stint with the Dodgers, he noted he has already been in touch with prospects Miguel Vargas and Diego Cartaya, and hopes to help them in any way he can.
More must-reads: