| Miguel Rojas | |
|---|---|
 Rojas at the 2025DodgersWorld Series victory parade | |
| Los Angeles Dodgers – No. 72 | |
| Infielder | |
| Born: (1989-02-24)February 24, 1989 (age 36) Los Teques,Miranda,Venezuela | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 6, 2014, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| MLB statistics (through 2025 season) | |
| Batting average | .260 |
| Hits | 979 |
| Home runs | 57 |
| Runs batted in | 363 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Miguel Elias Rojas Naidenoff (born February 24, 1989) is a Venezuelan professionalbaseballinfielder for theLos Angeles Dodgers ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). He has also played in MLB for theMiami Marlins. In 2025, he became the first player in MLB history to hit a game-tying home run in the 9th inning or later of aWorld Series Game 7.[1]
Rojas was signed by theCincinnati Reds organization as an amateurfree agent in 2006 out ofVenezuela[2] and played for their affiliates in theVenezuelan Summer League andDominican Summer League through 2007.[3] In 2008, the Reds moved him to their domestic affiliate in the rookie-classPioneer Baseball League, where he hit .183 in 61 games.[3]
Rojas progressed through the Reds'farm system, playing for the Class-ADayton Dragons in 2009, the Advanced-ALynchburg Hillcats in 2010, the Double-ACarolina Mudcats in 2010 and 2011, and the Double-APensacola Blue Wahoos and the Triple-ALouisville Bats in 2012.[3]
After the 2012 season, Rojas became afree agent and signed with theLos Angeles Dodgers organization.[4] He spent the 2013 season with theChattanooga Lookouts of theDouble–ASouthern League, where he hit .233 in 130 games.[5] In 2014, he received a non-roster invite to Major League spring training, where he was given a chance to compete for the vacant second base job.[6][7] The Dodgers assigned him to the Triple–AAlbuquerque Isotopes to start 2014, where he hit .302 in 51 games.[5]
The Dodgers promoted Rojas to the major leagues for the first time on June 6, 2014.[8] He made his major league debut that day as a late-inning defensive replacement.[9] His first hit was a single offMatt Belisle of theColorado Rockies in his first start on June 8.[5]
Rojas finished the 2014 regular season hitting only .181 with onehome run and nineruns batted in in 85 games.[5] He frequently took over forHanley Ramírez at shortstop late in games for defensive purposes. On June 18, he made an extremely difficult defensive play in the 7th inning to preserve a no-hitter thrown byClayton Kershaw.[5]
On December 10, 2014, the Dodgers traded Rojas, along withDee Gordon andDan Haren, to theMiami Marlins in exchange forAndrew Heaney,Chris Hatcher,Austin Barnes, andEnrique "Kiké" Hernández.[10]
In 2015, Rojas batted .282 with one home run and 17 runs batted in across 142 at-bats in 60 games.[5] This earned Rojas more playing time the next season as he appeared in 123 games,slashing .247/.288/.325 with one home run and 14 runs batted in.[11]
In 2017, Rojas missed 62 games due to a broken thumb, but still appeared in 90 games, hitting for a .290.361/.375 batting line in 272 at-bats with one home run and 26 runs batted in.[5] Rojas also led all NL shortstops in September and October with a .354 batting average and .948 on-base plus slugging average.[12]
In 2018, Rojas set career-highs in nearly every offensive category; games played (153), runs (44), hits (123), home runs (11), runs batted in (53), and stolen bases (6).[13]
In 2019, Rojas batted .284/.331/.379, with the lowestisolated power in the National League (.095).[5][14] On September 23, 2019, Rojas agreed to a new two-year contract with the Marlins, worth $10.25 million.[15]
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In late July 2020, Rojas tested positive forCOVID-19.[16][17][18] Despite testing positive, Rojas partnered with the companyStadium Custom Kicks during the 2020 season, branding the partnership asMiggy's Locker. The partnership allowed Rojas to design custom-made cleats to express his passion in shoes and basketball.[19] Overall in 2020, Rojas's batting line was all career-highs, with a .304/.392/.496 line on the year to go along with four home runs and 20 runs batted in.[5] Rojas got into a verbal altercation with rookieJazz Chisholm Jr. after Rojas ruined multiple custom made cleats that belonged to Chisholm, cutting them with scissors and pouring milk in them. Chisholm criticized Rojas calling him a bad team captain and bad teammate saying that behavior like his shows lack of leadership in bringing rookie teammates down.[20]
In 2021, Rojas played in 132 games, collecting 131 hits, 48 runs batted in, 13 stolen bases, and a career-high 37 walks.[5] On October 28, 2021, the Marlins signed Rojas to a two-year contract extension worth $10 million.[21]
On October 3, 2022, it was announced that Rojas would undergo wrist surgery to repair a torntriangular fibrocartilage complex in his right wrist.[22] He underwent an additional procedure in January after another minor issue arose.[23]
On January 11, 2023, Rojas was traded back to the Dodgers in exchange forJacob Amaya.[24][25]
On February 4, the Dodgers announced a contract extension with Rojas that would pay him $5 million for 2024 and included a $5 million club option for 2025.[26][27] While initially expected to be a utility player, Rojas wound up the starting shortstop whenGavin Lux went down with a season ending knee injury in spring training.[28] He played in 124 games, batting .236.[5] He had two hits in six at-bats in the2023 NLDS.[5]
Lux returned in 2024 but moved to second base andMookie Betts took over at shortstop, leaving Rojas as utility player to start the season before returning to short when Betts was hurt at midseason.[29] He went on the injured list at the end of July with right forearm inflammation[30] and returned August 7.[31] He remained in the lineup until tearing his adductor muscle in late September.[32] For the season, Rojas batted .283 in 103 games.[5] The team voted Rojas the winner of theRoy Campanella Award, which exemplifies the spirit and leadership of the late Hall of Fame catcher.[33] He started at shortstop for the Dodgers to begin the2024 NLDS, and had two hits in eight at-bats over the first three games of the series.[5] However, he aggravated a leg injury in the third game and did not play in the rest of the series and was left off the roster for theNLCS.[34] Rojas returned to the roster for the2024 World Series, but only played in Game 2, where he was hitless in three at-bats.[5] He collected his first World Series championship when the Dodgers beat theNew York Yankees in five games.[35] After the season, the Dodgers picked up his contract option for the 2025 season.[36]
Rojas switched his jersey number from 11 to 72, the number he first wore as a rookie with the team, as part of the team's pursuit ofRoki Sasaki.[37] He played in 114 games for the Dodgers in 2025 (68 at second base, 23 at third base, and 22 at shortstop) and batted .262 with seven home runs and 27 runs batted in.[5] After the2025 National League Division Series (NLDS), Rojas announced he would retire from professional baseball following the 2026 season.[38]
In the postseason, Rojas had three hits in five at-bats in theWild Card Series[39] and was hitless in three at-bats in theNLDS.[5] After not playing in the first five games of the2025 World Series, Rojas was inserted into the starting lineup for Games 6 and 7.[40] In Game 6 he made a tough catch at second base to help turn the game-ending double play.[41] In the winner-take-all Game 7, with the Dodgers down by one and only two outs remaining in the top of the ninth inning, Rojas hit a game-tying home run off ofJeff Hoffman.[42] Then, in the bottom of the ninth inning, with one out and the bases loaded, he made a defensive stop at second base on a bouncing ground ball and threw it to home plate for an out, preventing theToronto Blue Jays from scoring a series-winning run. The Dodgers later won the deciding game in the 11th inning.[43]
Rojas' game-tying home run had a 34.91%Championship Win Probability Added (CWPA), which made it at the time the most impactful single-game-tying home run in the 9th inning or later in World Series history (this was later broken byWill Smith two innings later in the 11th inning).[44]
On December 5, 2025, the Dodgers re-signed Rojas to a one-year, $5.5 million contract.[45] Rojas also announced that it would be his final season as a player and he would remain with the Dodgers in a front office role after the season.[46]
Rojas has played forTiburones de La Guaira in theVenezuelan Winter League during the offseason since 2009,[3] which included playing in the2012 Caribbean Series.[3]
