The Dodgers have already locked up a postseason berth and the NL West, but the piece of business still hanging out there is a first-round bye in the National League. On Thursday, a Dodgers win or a Braves loss would clinch that for Los Angeles.
That matters for more than rest. The roster has taken a beating lately, with Shohei Ohtani, Dalton Rushing and Blake Snell among the recently injured players who could use extra time before the NLDS begins.
It also matters for Miguel Rojas, and in a very different way.
Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reported that Rojas is scheduled to take his U.S. citizenship test on Oct. 1, which could line up with a potential Game 3 of the Wild Card series. Rojas is trying to follow Cincinnati Reds slugger Eugenio Suárez, a fellow Venezuela native who passed his citizenship test earlier this month.
If the Dodgers wind up in the Wild Card round, they would host all three games at Dodger Stadium. Even so, that setup could create a real scheduling issue for Rojas.
Los Angeles could leave him off the Wild Card roster and add him back for the NLDS, but he has been on nearly every Dodgers postseason roster since rejoining the club in 2023. The lone exception came in the 2024 NLDS, when he was sidelined by injury.
Rojas has been working in the United States since 2010, when the Reds signed him as an international free agent. His family still lives in Venezuela, and earlier this season he declined a move to the bereavement list after his father died there. His wife and children were also in Caracas during the devastating earthquakes in June.
He’s set to retire after the season, but he has major league coaching and managerial ambitions, which makes staying in the United States after his playing days a logical next step.
For the Dodgers, the hope is simple: get the bye, get the extra time, and give Rojas the chance to take that next step without a playoff conflict getting in the way.
In Other News...
Manny Machado Just Gave Dodgers Fans Another Reason To Hate October
Manny Machado managed to hit two very different notes in the same night during a recent Padres-Dodgers series, and both of them landed squarely in front of the Los Angeles crowd. Before doing damage at the plate, he signed autographs for Dodgers fans, then went on to launch a two-run home run and add a sacrifice fly in the game. For a player who has long been one of the more polarizing figures in the rivalry, it was a reminder that even his courteous moments can come with a competitive edge attached.
He later kept a promise by handing his batting gloves to a young fan, another small gesture that only sharpened the contrast between the public persona and the player Dodgers supporters have spent years bracing against. The bigger question, of course, is what all of this looks like if these teams meet again in October, when every Machado plate appearance carries more weight and every gesture, polite or otherwise, gets folded into the larger tension between San Diego and Los Angeles. [Read more 🡒]
Miguel Rojas Shared A Farewell Message Dodgers Fans Will Feel
Miguel Rojas has given Dodgers fans another reason to appreciate what he brings beyond the box score. After announcing he will retire following the 2026 season, he signed a one-year deal with Los Angeles for that final year on the field, keeping him in a familiar role as the Dodgers prepare for another stretch of championship expectations. Even as his playing days wind down, Rojas has already mapped out a future with the organization, with plans to help in player development and the front office in 2027.
Recently, Rojas also sent a public thank-you to Dodgers fans, a message that landed with extra weight because he is clearly nearing the end of his career. It was the kind of farewell note that reminds a fan base how much a veteran can mean over time, especially when a player has become part of the fabric of the clubhouse and the larger organizational picture. For the Dodgers, it adds a human layer to a simple roster move, and for Rojas, it signals that the next chapter may be just as tied to Los Angeles as the last one. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Three Peat Path May Get Toughest Before The World Series
The Dodgers enter 2026 with the kind of roster that keeps them near the top of every postseason conversation, but one of the more interesting takes circulating around the league is that their hardest path might come before the World Series even begins. According to an MLB general manager cited by ESPNs Jeff Passan, the National League playoff field could present a stiffer test than anything waiting on the other side, a reflection of just how deep and competitive the bracket could be.
For a club chasing a third straight title, that framing matters because it shifts the spotlight from Octobers final round to the road there. The idea is not about a confirmed matchup or a settled bracket, just the league-wide sense that the Dodgers could have to survive a tougher set of NL opponents than the American League would offer once the World Series arrives. It is the kind of reminder that repeat championships are rarely won in a straight line. [Read more 🡒]