Miguel Rojas Has Immense Praise for Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts

Sam Garcia | Jul 19, 2024

Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports

With the absence of three-time All-Star Mookie Betts, there was an opening at shorstop. This gave 11-season veteran Miguel Rojas an opportunity to prove why he could be an everyday shortstop for the Dodgers.

Betts is expected to return to the field before the postseason, which arises questions about who will fulfill the shortstop position when he is healthy. Although Rojas lacks the amount of accolades as Betts, his performance over the past few weeks has Dave Roberts considering leaving him at the position for the rest of the season.

Dodgers Nation's Doug McKain spoke with Rojas about what it means to have gained the trust and approval of the Dodgers general manager at shortstop.

“It’s really nice to hear from your manager and from a guy that I consider my friend. Now, it's not just like a guy who's making the decisions that I need to listen to him. It's just I really take into consideration what he has to say about me and what I need to do to get better. So, listening to him and knowing that he's watching me day in and day out for the last two years, it's been really nice to count on him and know that he got my back, and know that he's happy with the way that I've been in games, which is something nice to have as a player.”

- Miguel Rojas, via Dodgers Nation

Rojas was a regular shortstop for the majority of his career with the Miami Marlins. Defensively, Rojas is five outs above average, which is higher than former Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager and potential trade target Bo Bichette. He also has 77 assists and six double plays at the position this season. Offensively, Rojas is batting .284/.330/.426 with 52 hits, 78 total bases, and 21 RBIs.