Dodgers News: Miguel Rojas Will Not Play in WBC

On Thursday morning, Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas confirmed reports on his status for the World Baseball Classic. After some thought, he decided to bow out of the tournament to stay with his new team during spring training.

Manager Dave Roberts said when Rojas spoke to the clubhouse about his decision, teammates were “shocked and grateful” for making the tough decision. He added that Miguel made the decision on his own after speaking with his family.

Why is Miguel Rojas No Longer Playing in the WBC?

The injury to Gavin Lux, who’s now out for the season with a torn ACL, has upped the importance of Rojas for the Dodgers. Initially, LA traded for the veteran expecting him to assume a utility role all around the infield. Now, as Roberts revealed this week, he’ll be the just about every day shortstop going forward for the club.

With his team in the WBC, the expectation was that he would be in a bench role behind stars like Jose Altuve, Gleyber Torres, Eduardo Escobar, and Eugenio Suarez on the infield. That would mean fewer at-bats for Miguel which he realized is detrimental to his MLB team.

Last week, Rojas shared his excitement to play alongside his countrymen for Team Venezuela. He told DodgersNation.com that he was very much looking forward to playing for the people back home in his country and with future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera among others.

Rojas has fit in well with the Dodgers so far. He’s already begun to assume a leadership role with the team and has become a mentor to rookie second baseman Miguel Vargas, who will now be his official double play partner to start the season.

Much respect goes out to Rojas for making this tough decision for the betterment of his new team.