Dodgers Key Veteran Reveals When He'll Retire From MLB

Valentina Martinez | 7 Hours Ago

Aug 29, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Enrique Hernandez (8). right fielder Mookie Betts (50) Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Chris Taylor (3) and shortstop Miguel Rojas (11) celebrate the victory against the Baltimore Orioles at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Dodgers veteran shortstop Miguel Rojas hopes to retire with the team after the 2026 season.

“I would like to retire with the Dodgers," Rojas told Dodgers Nation's Doug McKain. "My personal goal and my personal expectation is to play two more years, so ‘25 and ‘26. After ‘26 I'll be done with my baseball, with my playing career after that.”

Rojas, 35, said that he wants to leave baseball while he is still competing at the highest-level. Heading into the 2025 season, he is likely going to play a backup role at shortstop rather than being an everyday starter.

“I'm looking forward to continuing to produce at that level," Rojas said. "And I want to step out of the game when I'm at my highest. I don't want to wait until, I don't want to face a situation where I need to be fighting for the job, or looking for a job or calling people that I know to get in the game. I want to be valued in the game.”

Rojas expressed he is looking forward to his future endeavors after hanging up his cleats, but he is extremely focused in the offseason on maintaining his level of play.

“I want to be a shortstop until I retire and all that. And I take pride in that," he said. "That's why in the offseason, I put the work that I always put to play at that level and hopefully I can continue to do that. But definitely, I'm thinking about possibilities and how my career can take off from here.”

Rojas is a respected figure in the Dodgers clubhouse. He is a veteran many players go to for advice and counsel throughout the season. He has established himself as a leader of the Los Angeles squad.

“I would never say no to a big league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, don't get me wrong," Rojas said. "But I am definitely looking to finish my career here, because this is what I find a real reason to play baseball for and to be good for, other than just my numbers and my own money and my own privilege, which is playing 10 years in the big leagues and all that. I already conquered that I just want to be good at what I do, and I want to be helpful to my teammates and my people.”

Rojas had a career resurgence in 2024, slashing .283/.337/.410 with six home runs and 36 RBIs across 103 games. He had a career-high bWAR of 3.4 and an OPS+ of 113.