Miguel Rojas Announces Retirement

After posting a .463 OPS in 85 games as a 25-year-old rookie, Rojas was traded to Miami as part of a seven-player swap that involved Dee Strange-Gordon, Andrew Heaney, Dan Haren and future teammate Kiké Hernández. Few would’ve projected Rojas spending more than a decade in the big leagues at the time, but he developed from a glove-only utility player into a capable everyday shortstop with the Marlins.

Rojas would never become an impact offensive player, but he improved his bat close enough to league average to complement an excellent glove. He also emerged as a clubhouse leader and unofficial team captain with the Fish, who twice rewarded him with multi-year extensions. Rojas hit .304 during the shortened 2020 season to help Miami to their first postseason berth since their ’03 World Series win.

Over an eight-year run in South Florida, Rojas batted .265/.318/.366 with 38 home runs. He remains among the top 10 in team history in games and plate appearances. Rojas graded 23 runs above average at shortstop during his time with the Marlins and had a strong case for at least one Gold Glove along the way. He led NL shortstops in fielding percentage and Defensive Runs Saved while finishing fourth in Outs Above Average in 2022.

That would be Rojas’ final season in Miami. The Fish swapped him back to the Dodgers the following offseason. Rojas promptly signed a one-year extension with L.A. and would repeat that pattern for the last four seasons of his career. He was the Dodgers’ primary shortstop in ’23 before moving into a utility role.

The return to Los Angeles allowed Rojas to play on baseball’s biggest stage every season. He had a down year in ’23 but hit at a league average level as a role player between 2024-26. Rojas collected his first World Series ring in 2024 when the Dodgers defeated the Yankees in five games. He started Game 2 of the Fall Classic but didn’t make a huge on-field contribution that postseason.

Rojas was expected to play a similar role in 2025. He made a handful of appearances, mostly as a late-game substitute, early in the playoff run. The Dodgers returned to the World Series, matching up with the Blue Jays in what would become an all-time classic. Rojas was on the bench for the first five games, only making an appearance in extra innings during a marathon Game 3.

That changed in Game 6. Skipper Dave Roberts drew Rojas into the lineup at second base and bumped Tommy Edman out to center field, where the Dodgers were looking for answers with Andy Pages struggling. Rojas went 0-3 in Game 6 but remained in the lineup for Game 7, teeing up one of the biggest swings in baseball history.

Toronto took an early lead and maintained a 4-3 advantage entering the ninth inning. Jeff Hoffman struck out Hernández to move the Jays within two outs of a championship. Rojas then lifted a full-count slider into the left field seats, stunning the Rogers Centre crowd. The Dodgers would go to win on a Will Smith home run in the 11th. It immediately etched Rojas into franchise lore, probably the biggest homer in Game 7 of a World Series since Bill Mazeroski’s 1960 walk-off.

Rojas returned to L.A. with visions of a three-peat. Milwaukee put an end to that with a sweep, coming back from 4-0 down to complete the decisive victory tonight. Rojas was in the lineup but didn’t get to take an at-bat, as the Dodgers lifted him for a pinch-hitter after the Brewers swapped out opener Shane Drohan for righty Dustin May. His final plate appearances came in Game 3, when he went 1-1 with a walk.

Rojas surpassed 12 years of big league service and played in more than 1400 regular season games. He retires a career .260/.313/.363 hitter with 61 homers and 386 runs driven in. Rojas topped 1000 career hits this past April. He logged nearly 10,000 innings on defense across all four infield spots, spending the bulk of his career at shortstop. FanGraphs credited him with 15 wins above replacement, while Baseball Reference valued his contributions around 20 WAR. B-Ref calculates his career earnings just north of $40MM.

Though the glove was Rojas’ calling card, his career will be best remembered for one iconic swing. There’s a good chance he’ll make a name for himself in his post-playing days as well. Rojas told Bob Nightengale of USA Today in August that he hopes to have a managerial career someday. Congratulations to Rojas on a strong career (and on a notable off-field achievement earlier this month) and best of luck in his future endeavors.