It’s been just two weeks since Miguel Rojas replaced the injured Mookie Betts as the Dodgers’ starting shortstop, more than enough time for the 35-year-old veteran to retool the team’s infield for the playoffs.
The skilled Rojas has reminded the Dodgers how important it is to have a reliable defender at shortstop in October, someone who won’t upset the team’s executives, managers, coaches, players and fans when the ball is hit to him.
Rojas, who has no errors in 215⅔ innings at shortstop this season, is clearly that guy. He has excellent range to his left and right, soft, sure hands, a strong, accurate throwing arm, and he is adept at starting and turning double plays.
Rojas is athletic enough to make plays from a variety of body positions and arm angles. His internal clock, which helps infielders know how much time they have to make a throw based on a runner’s speed, is as finely tuned as a Swiss watch.
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“To me,” said Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel, “he’s one of the five best defensive shortstops in baseball.”
Despite his athleticism and his willingness and ability to move from right field to second base and from second base to shortstop last winter (a position he hasn’t played regularly since high school), Betts has been unable to do so this spring.
That could eventually happen, but the dynamic leadoff player is expected to be out for six to eight weeks after suffering a fracture in his left hand on June 16 when he was hit by a 98 mph fastball. The extended absence will stunt his growth at his new position.
And Betts, a six-time Gold Glove Award winner in right field, was not eligible for the Gold Glove when he was injured. He committed nine errors in 531 ⅓ innings at shortstop this season, including eight as a pitcher and one as a fielder.
All of which begs the question: If Rojas continues to hit the way he has this season, one of his best in 11 years in the major leagues, will Dodgers manager Dave Roberts consider leaving him at shortstop when Betts returns and moving Betts to second base, where Gavin Lux hasn’t exactly been a great prospect offensively?
“I would do it, I would do it,” Roberts said. “I don’t think anyone can argue with the level of shortstop play that Miguel Rojas has. Some of it depends on the timeline for Mookie’s return and where Miggy is physically and how things go. But to your question, would I consider it? Absolutely.”
To ensure Rojas remains the starting shortstop through the summer and fall, he needs to stay healthy. To that end, he’s spending more time with his legs in a blood flow restriction (BFR) machine and taking fewer ground balls. It’s part of a modified pre- and post-game workout regimen designed to keep him on the field.
Rojas began the season as an all-around player, starting in just 30 of the team’s first 73 games until June 16, the day Betts was hit by a ball from Kansas City Royals right-handed pitcher Dan Altavilla.
Rojas started 10 of the first 11 games at shortstop after Betts was injured, a pace made possible by three days of rest in the past nine days, but not sustainable for a player who has struggled with leg injuries for years.
“He’s having a great year, both offensively and defensively, and I love the sharpness, the energy that he brings every night,” Roberts said. “What I have to focus on is managing his playing time because he’s just so valuable to our club.
“He will say like most players that he can play every day, and that should be his mindset. But he is still an older player who has had some soft tissue issues, so I will find time to give him days off because I think it is best for him and for us in the long term.”
Rojas, who enters Tuesday night’s game against Arizona with a .287 average, a .778 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, three homers, 13 doubles and 15 RBIs in 52 games, finally got a day off Sunday in San Francisco. There were no complaints.
“I think it’s a smart move because I have a day off on Monday as well,” Rojas said after he had three RBI singles and a sacrifice fly in Saturday night’s grueling 14-7, 11-inning win over the Giants. “My role on this team changed a little bit when Mookie got hurt, and now I have to play shortstop every day.
“I need to recharge my batteries because I’m a guy who goes all out every day and I feel like I’m emptying the tank. I need to refuel and be ready for Tuesday.”
Rojas, the team’s regular shortstop last season, prides himself on his stellar defense and the passion with which he plays.
“I want to inject some energy into the lineup, I want to be in the middle of the field and try to be another manager, help the guys with positioning,” Rojas said. “I play hard every day, whether it’s running the bases or diving for balls. I don’t save anything for later. I’m not trying to save myself for September.”
But to make it through September and October, Rojas knows he’ll have to take even better care of his body. That’s why he started doing yoga and Pilates this spring, ditched the high-top trainers that seemed to affect his Achilles, hamstrings and hips, and spends at least 30 minutes in the training room before and after every game getting treatments, including the BFR machine.
Also known as an occlusion training device, the BFR machine restricts blood flow to a muscle, group of muscles, and joints such as elbows and knees to enhance lactic acid produced during exercise, a key component in building muscle. It also aids in recovery and healing.
“I’ve had a few accidental injuries, like when I injured my wrist [on a 2022 slide with Miami],” said Rojas, who was pulled from an early June game in Pittsburgh because of a groin injury. “But my legs have been giving me trouble the last couple of years.
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“I’ve been using the BFR machine on both legs for the past few weeks. Then I do some more treatments and more stretching, and I feel good. My body feels much better than last year when I played a lot.”
Rojas has scaled back his pregame routine, which for the first 2½ months of the season included extensive work on taking ground balls and helping Betts transition to shortstop. In addition to stretching more to improve his flexibility, Rojas is eating better and staying hydrated. He’s going to bed earlier.
“I take this very seriously because I don’t want them to feel like they have to go out and find someone,” Rojas said. “I think I can do it.”
At the time the fastball hit Betts’ hand, there was speculation that the Dodgers would pursue a trade for a shortstop. Toronto’s Bo Bichette and Chicago White Sox’ Paul DeJong have been mentioned as candidates, but Bichette is coming off the worst season of his career and DeJong is said to be no better than Rojas.
“That’s the chip on his shoulder — he wants to prove that he’s the guy,” Ebel said of Rojas. “I give him credit for even thinking that.”
Rojas will never be as dangerous in the batting box as Betts, but the Dodgers will be hard-pressed to find a better defensive alternative at shortstop.
“It’s a game-changer,” Roberts said of Rojas’ defense. “Mookie did the best he could under the circumstances, but Miggy is an 80-level defender. He grew up as a shortstop. The reps he’s gotten over the years, over his life … he’s a lock-down guy.”
The challenge for Roberts will be to find the balance between letting Rojas play as much as possible and giving him enough rest to keep him healthy for the next four months.
“For me, it’s talking to the coaching staff, using my eyes and seeing how his body moves, picking a day game versus a night game, things like that,” Roberts said. “There’s no exact science. I can’t just say it’s two plays on, one play off, three plays on, one play off, six plays in a row.
“But he’s so valuable to us going forward that the most important thing is to keep him fresh, and that’s my mindset. … I can’t say enough about Miggy Ro. I’m pushing him a little bit in terms of playing time, but he’s coming out of it good.”
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
