The Dodgers still haven’t decided whether Miguel Rojas will be on the NLCS roster, and the hold-up comes down to his lower back injury.
Rojas exited Game 3 of the NL Division Series against the Atlanta Braves after hurting himself on a swing, then sat out the Dodgers’ Game 4 clincher. With Game 1 against the Milwaukee Brewers set for Sunday, his back still hasn’t fully healed.
Manager Dave Roberts said Friday he liked the progress he saw, but the club isn’t ready to lock anything in yet.
“See how he comes in [Saturday] for the workout” Roberts said on Friday. “I just think that there’s no upside in announcing it yet when we still have a plane flight.
There’s another workout. There’s no deadline right now.
… We have time to ultimately make that decision.”
That decision matters because Rojas filled an important role for Los Angeles in 2026. Among Dodgers hitters with at least 20 at-bats against left-handed pitching, only Teoscar Hernandez posted a better batting average than Rojas, who hit .293 against lefties in the regular season.
He also handled southpaws well in terms of contact, striking out just 18 times in 147 at-bats. By comparison, Shohei Ohtani struck out 51 times in 179 at-bats against lefties.
The Brewers’ top arms lean right-handed, but there are lefties in the mix with Robert Gasser, Aaron Ashby, DL Hall and Jojo Romero. If one of them ends up in a high-leverage spot, Rojas could still matter off the bench - assuming he’s healthy enough to play.
If he can’t, the Dodgers would likely turn to Kiké Hernández and Tommy Edman to pick up the slack. One of them is expected to start at second base. Hernández makes the most sense if Gasser gets the ball in Game 3 or Game 4, while Edman could be the choice in Game 1 against Jacob Misiorowski or Game 2 against Logan Henderson.
Rojas was in the lineup for Game 3 of the NLDS against left-hander Chris Sale, marking his second straight start after also getting the call in Game 2 against the left-handed Ray Kerr in a bullpen game. He went 1-for-1 against Kerr, then finished 0-for-3 in Game 3.
Across the regular season, Rojas played in 105 games and hit .267 with a .703 OPS.
The Dodgers may also be weighing what they lose defensively if Rojas isn’t available. Alex Call and Alex Freeland were left off the NLDS roster, with Call standing as the closest offensive match to Rojas and Freeland offering another infield defensive option.
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