Miguel Rojas had a night to forget on Friday as he exited the Los Angeles Dodgers’ series opener against the San Francisco Giants in the seventh inning after being hit by a pitch on his left hand.
Rojas received X-rays at the conclusion of the game, which came back negative, and there was improvement in his condition the following day, which allowed the veteran shortstop to skip additional testing that was originally planned.
Prior to leaving the matchup early, Rojas was called for a defensive violation in the sixth inning after the Giants challenged that his foot had been touching the outfield grass before Lance Lynn delivered a pitch.
Infielders are no longer allowed to play on the outfield after MLB introduced defensive shift limits as part of several new rule changes for the 2023 season.
Rojas was critical of Giants interim manager Kai Correa for asking umpires to review the play and noted many shortstops regularly touch the outfield grass, but he also considered it a valuable learning lesson, via SportsNet LA:
“I never want to start on the grass. I know the rule and I know I need to be with both feet on the dirt. I’m aware of all that, but I want to give myself enough room for getting to a ball. I’ve got to be able to kind of play on the line. I probably was touching with my heels. I’ve been playing like that the whole year. It’s kind of a desperate move to go challenge those plays.
“I don’t think it’s right, because we’re all playing the same game and their shortstop is doing kind of the same thing. Kind of a smart move there. But what can we do? I’m glad that it happened, so going into what really matters, and winning games in the postseason, I don’t commit that mistake again.”
At the time of the challenge, the Dodgers held a 6-2 lead over the Giants. That wound up being the final score, so the review had no impact on the outcome of the game.
The Dodgers nevertheless seemed to take some exception with the challenge, particularly Lynn, who yelled into the Giants’ dugout as the inning ended and a second time before the next frame began.
Miguel Rojas out of Dodgers lineup
Although Rojas avoided a serious hand injury, he dealt with residual swelling and missed the final two games of the regular season.
The 34-year-old anticipates being ready for the start of the National League Division Series on Saturday.
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