The Los Angeles Dodgers made a roster depth move earlier this month by trading prospect Jacob Amaya to the Miami Marlins in exchange for Miguel Rojas.
Rojas, who will be 34 in February, returns to the club he made his MLB debut with in 2014. After the trade which sent him to the Marlins, Rojas gradually took over as their primary shortstop, a role he could land with the Dodgers this upcoming season.
The veteran is coming off a down year in which he batted .237/.282/.324 over 140 games, an unusual line for a rather consistent hitter. However, an issue with Rojas’ right wrist figured to play a role in his struggles, which required surgery to fix when the regular season concluded.
After needing a fix to repair his torn triangular fibrocartilage complex, Rojas explained on “Dodger Talk” with David Vassegh, there is another operation that needs to be completed on his right wrist:
“I’ve been progressing. I feel like there’s ways to go for Spring Training and all the things in front of me. I just want everybody to know my first objective is to help the team during the season. I’m not going to force anything before that. I’m always going to put my team first and do everything that is in my power to be 100% in Spring Training and play games.
“It was really hard for me to play through the injury for the second half of the year. But now I feel so much better. There’s still a couple other things I need to figure out with the wrist, but at the end of the day, I’m going to be ready for Spring Training if everything goes well.”
Rojas appeared in the second-most games in his career last season, and playing through a wrist injury that is set to require another procedure, the newest Dodgers infielder still provided elite defensive value.
If all things come out roses following his next fix to the wrist, Rojas should provide the Dodgers with a valuable option off the bench to fill in at multiple positions. The expectation is Gavin Lux remains on track to be the starting shortstop.
Miguel Rojas saved Clayton Kershaw’s no-hitter
The 2014 season was memorable for Clayton Kershaw, who posted a 21-3 record with an unbelievable 1.77 ERA and 0.86 WHIP through 26 starts. He would go on to win the National League MVP and etch himself into MLB history.
In the middle of a historic season, Kershaw threw his first career no-hitter on June 18, 2014, against the Colorado Rockies. Rojas, who appeared in 85 games for the Dodgers that season and played multiple infield positions, preserved Kershaw’s no-hit bid with a terrific defensive play behind third base.
He would go on to break the game open with a three-run double, securing the gem for Kershaw.
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