Dodger shortstop left Wednesday’s game against the Padres due to stiffness in his left groin. On Thursday, he’ll get a cortisone shot and miss a couple games, followed by an MRI to determine the severity.
Rojas was on first base following a walk in the fourth inning when Shohei Ohtani doubled off the bullpen gate in right center. Gavin Lux scored from second on the play, but Rojas had to limp back to the bag after rounding third base. Rojas stayed in after being quickly examined by trainer Thomas Albert and manager Dave Roberts.
After one pitch, Rojas was out of the game on defense, and Tommy Edman, who started in center field, took his place at shortstop. Andy Pages replaced Rojas in the eighth spot.
Rojas described it as an adductor muscle ailment, with which he has been dealing since the All-Star break, missing a few games here and there. However, his only spell on the disabled list this season was in July, when he missed 14 games due to right forearm soreness.
“I’m trying to calm it down and be ready for what’s really important, which is playing in the playoffs,” Rojas told the crowd. “I’ve been taking off days here and there, but we feel with the playoffs, the most you can play is three days in a row. Hopefully, my ability to remain on top of it, combined with the pharmaceutical injection, will help.”
Rojas said he’d prefer to play at least one game at Coors Field this weekend to wrap off the regular season.
“This is concerning. “He’s been dealing with this all year,” Roberts explained. “We’ve tried to balance his workload and playing time, and now he’s getting the injection. Hopefully he can play on Sunday.”
On the season, Rojas is batting.283/.337/.410 with 111 wRC+, his highest full-season hitting performance. His 2.8 fWAR marks a career high.
Earlier Wednesday, he received the 2024 Roy Campanella Award, which was chosen by Dodgers teammates and coaches to reflect the spirit and leadership of the Hall of Fame catcher.
“It’s voted on by uniformed personnel, so I believe it meant a lot to Miguel,” Roberts said before the game. “He’s not a perennial All-Star, he’s not an MVP, but I think what he does for our ball club, tutoring and helping Mookie, doing the things that they do after winning a series, having one-off conversations with guys, playing the way he’s played for us, whatever role we ask of him.”
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