Miguel Rojas Wants to Retire With Dodgers, Join Coaching Staff
Miguel Rojas is in the middle of his second stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 35-year-old signed with the Dodgers as a minor league free agent in 2012, having played only half a season above the Double-A level. Rojas made his MLB debut with Los Angeles in 2014.
In his brief time in the majors, Rojas was responsible for one of the most important defensive plays in franchise history, preventing a hit from breaking up Clayton Kershaw’s eventual no-hitter.
Rojas then spent the next nine years of his career in Miami before being traded back to the Dodgers ahead of the 2023 season for shortstop prospect Jacob Amaya.
Rojas shortly thereafter signed an extension with the team that would take him through the 2024 season with a club option in 2025.
Rojas was thrust into the starting shortstop role in 2023 following Gavin Lux’s torn ACL in spring training. This year, he’s been an above-average player on both offense and defense, and is again starting at shortstop after Mookie Betts suffered a fractured hand. He’s been one of the team’s most important players this season.
On Wednesday, Rojas joined Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain on Dodgers Dougout Live and made his future intentions known: He wants to finish his career with the Dodgers.
“I would like to retire as a Dodger,” Rojas told Dodgers Nation. “I want to play at least two more years, and hopefully — and obviously — I want to play for the Dodgers and I want to finish my career here.”
Rojas has a club option of $5 million for the 2025 season that will almost certainly be picked up. Or, the Dodgers could elect to just sign him to another two-year deal, which would take him through his age-37 season.
Rojas has proved his worth this year more than ever, as he’s filled in at shortstop and been an incredible offensive presence. Through the All-Star break, Rojas has appeared in 64 games, slashing .284/.330/.426 with 20 extra-base hits, 21 RBIs, and an OPS of .756. His OPS+ of 113 is 13 percent above league average while his six outs above average rank in the 95th percentile in all of MLB.
While Rojas is defying age and playing an elite shortstop in the waning years of his career, he knows he won’t be able to play forever. And when the time comes to hang his cleats up, he wants to remain with the Dodgers organization.
“Another thing that I want to do is stay in as a coach with the team after I’m done playing,” Rojas said to Dodgers Nation, “so that’s something that I’m kind of putting together.”
While Rojas has made his intentions clear, he also knows he needs to keep up this level of play to remain with an organization like the Dodgers.
“You have to continue to improve, and you have to continue to prove that you’re valuable for an organization, especially with the high standards that the Dodgers have,” Rojas said. “But I’m planning on keeping myself on that standard and hopefully, after my career is over, I can stay as a coach, because I want to stay in the game.
“And my goal is to manage one day.”
Rojas has all the makings of a great future manager. For now, he’s focused on continuing his late-career resurgence as a the starting shortstop for a contending team.
“I don’t know how much longer I can play for,” Rojas said. “I will never deny myself playing baseball if I’m playing on a high level and I’m healthy and I’m playing the highest level shortstop. I will never cut myself short.”
Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
