Los Angeles Dodgers veteran Miguel Rojas is nearing the end of what’s widely expected to be his final regular season as an MLB player, but he’s got a very good reason not to let up off the gas pedal.
Rojas is a native of Venezuela, but he is applying for his United States citizenship, reports Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.
That application requires him to take the citizenship test, and that’s where things can get dicey with baseball’s postseason schedule.
Rojas is set to take that test on Oct. 1, which is the third day of the three-game wild card series.
If the Dodgers were to have to play that round of the playoffs, it “would complicate his travel” to take the exam, Plunkett wrote on social media.
How likely are the Dodgers to get a bye for the wild card round?
Fortunately for Rojas — and the Dodgers as a whole — they seem to have a good hold on the second seed in the National League, which includes a bye for the wild card round.
As of Tuesday morning, the Dodgers have a four game lead over the third-place Atlanta Braves, and with only six regular season games remaining for each team, the Braves are running out of time to make up ground.
As long as the Dodgers can hold off the Braves, Rojas will be available to take his citizenship test, and the injury-plagued Dodgers will also get a few extra days to heal up ahead of a grueling October.
A last dance for Miguel Rojas
Aside from getting his American citizenship, Rojas can also use that time off to soak up his last season as an MLB player.
The hero of the 2025 World Series doesn’t really have anything left to prove, but he told Dodgers Nation’s Noel Sanchez that he’s trying to make the most of his playing time.
“I never take it for granted,” he said. “I feel like every opportunity we have to take this field is really special especially after what happened the last couple of years, not just to me but to the organization and the city.”
It is possible, though, that Rojas isn’t quite done.
He has flirted with the idea of coming back for another season, something contingent on the Dodgers three-peating, but he notes that’s only his desire.
Even if he changed his mind and wanted to come back, the team could decide to move on.
“I don’t really know when it’s going to be my last time stepping out to home plate and hearing the crowd cheer for me and support me, and that’s the reason why I’m getting a little bit emotional,” he said. “Even though I said I might come back and play if we win the World Series, there’s no guarantee.”
But that’s a worry for later.
For now, Rojas is still focused on the three-peat, and he’s soaking up every second.
