fbpx

Dodgers News: Freddie Freeman Helped Miguel Rojas Pick Wine Bottles For Shohei Ohtani & Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Matthew Moreno
3 Min Read
Blake Williams/DodgerBlue.com

When Miguel Rojas was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers prior to the 2022 season, he spoke of wanting to provide a veteran leadership in his second stint with the team.

Rojas was initially projected to fill a utility role but wound up becoming the starting shortstop because of Gavin Lux’s right knee injury suffered in Spring Training. While Rojas endured some struggles at the plate, he provided a steady glove and strong presence in the Dodgers clubhouse.

The 34-year-old emerged as a trusted leader and now is heading into another season with the Dodgers where he figures to pair with the likes of Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Jason Heyward and Shohei Ohtani as pillars in the clubhouse.

One example of that has already taken place during Spring Training, as Rojas solicited advice from Freeman on which bottles of wine to buy as gifts for Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to welcome them to the Dodgers, per Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:

“I know what it’s like to come from a different country, join a new team,” Rojas said. “So I wanted to do something to make them feel welcome.”

Yamamoto and Ohtani found bottles of wine in their lockers following Sunday’s workout, courtesy of Rojas – cabernet sauvignon from Quintessa as recommended by Freddie Freeman, Rojas said.

Ohtani — already in camp with pitchers and catchers despite being limited to duty as a designated hitter this season — previously stated he was going to conduct himself as an MLB rookie due to this being his first year with the Dodgers.

Yamamoto has expressed taking a similar reserved approach around the team while establishing himself as a new arrival from Nippon Professional Baseball.

In reality, the Dodgers clubhouse has a welcoming culture and the team is going to heavily lean on Ohtani and Yamamoto in pursuit of achieving their World Series goal.

Miguel Rojas established Dodgers celebration

Rojas previously was credited by Max Muncy for implementing a clubhouse tradition of celebrating wins last year. Muncy believed that helped the Dodgers find their groove during the regular season as they had been mired in some inconsistency both collectively and certain players on an individual basis.

Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!

Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com