Miguel Rojas walked out of Dodger Stadium Tuesday night with his glove hand functional and his roster spot secure. The 33-year-old shortstop exited Game 3 of the NLDS against Atlanta in the seventh inning after fielding a ground ball, immediately signaling to the dugout. He spent fifteen minutes in the training room, emerged for postgame availability, and told reporters he expects to dress for Game 4 Thursday. The Dodgers lead the series 3-0.
Rojas is hitting .219 in the postseason but plays 141 innings at short when healthy, anchoring a defensive alignment that allows Mookie Betts to float between second and right depending on matchup. His exit triggered a double-switch that brought utility man Chris Taylor into the six-hole and pushed Gavin Lux to short for the final two frames. Lux has started 18 games at shortstop this season, down from 125 last year, and carries a .645 OPS against right-handed pitching. The Dodgers face a bullpen game Thursday if they close the series, meaning defensive reliability matters more than usual.
Rojas signed a two-year, $5.5 million deal in February 2023, backloaded to pay him $3 million this season. He is the only rostered shortstop with 1,000-plus career innings at the position. The team's depth chart behind him consists of Lux, Taylor, and utility infielder Kiké Hernández, who homered Tuesday and plays short in emergencies. Hernández started six games there in the regular season. The Dodgers have no Triple-A shortstop on the 40-man roster.
Manager Dave Roberts told reporters Rojas underwent imaging Wednesday morning and received clearance to take grounders Thursday afternoon. Roberts did not specify the injury beyond "hand contusion" but confirmed Rojas will be available off the bench if not in the starting nine. The Dodgers have four position players on the NLDS roster who have started fewer than ten games at shortstop in their careers. Rojas accounts for 94% of the team's regular-season innings at the position among active roster players.
The broader roster math tilts toward caution. Los Angeles carries 13 pitchers on its playoff roster, leaving 13 position players to cover nine spots plus pinch-running and defensive replacements. Rojas's availability means Roberts does not need to activate Miguel Vargas from the taxi squad or burn a roster move mid-series. Vargas has started two games at shortstop in his professional career. The Dodgers used 17 different starting lineups in their final 20 regular-season games, a product of load management and late-season rest days, but Rojas appeared in 19 of those 20.
Atlanta's bullpen threw 5.1 innings Tuesday and will likely exceed six if the series reaches Game 4. The Dodgers used starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto for five innings and five relievers for the remaining four, preserving closer Evan Phillips and setup man Alex Vesia for Thursday. If Rojas starts, the defensive alignment remains unchanged: Betts at second, Hernández in center, Lux on the bench until late-game substitution. If he sits, Lux starts and Betts likely shifts to short for high-leverage innings, a configuration the Dodgers have used twice this postseason.
Rojas is a free agent after the 2024 season. He will turn 34 in February. The Dodgers have $217 million committed to eight players for 2025, including $65 million to Freddie Freeman and $43 million to Mookie Betts. The team has not announced whether it will extend Rojas or pivot to a younger option, but his postseason availability keeps that decision on the offseason calendar, not the October roster.
Watch for Roberts's Thursday lineup card, published roughly three hours before first pitch. If Rojas is not in the starting nine, expect Lux at short and Hernández in center, with Betts moving to second base. If he starts, the Dodgers' defensive configuration stays identical to Tuesday's 6-2 win. Los Angeles has won 12 consecutive postseason games when leading a series 2-0 or better.
The takeaway
Rojas clears Game 4, preserving LA's defensive depth chart and postponing any mid-series roster scramble.
Editorial & Disclosure Notice: This article was written with artificial intelligence from public sources and is published without individual human review. Artificial intelligence and other digital tools are also used for research, analysis, editing, formatting, and production. Errors, omissions, outdated information, or inaccuracies may occur. References to companies, brands, products, services, organizations, or individuals are for informational and editorial purposes and do not imply endorsement, sponsorship, affiliation, partnership, or approval unless expressly stated. All trademarks and other intellectual property remain the property of their respective owners. Opinions, analysis, estimates, and commentary are informational only and should not be construed as financial, investment, legal, tax, medical, procurement, or other professional advice. Information may be corrected, clarified, or updated after publication. Corrections or removal requests: jenny@pops4.com.
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