The Los Angeles Dodgers went into the postseason far from having a healthy team as injuries decimated their pitching staff throughout the year, and Miguel Rojas was among those still available but not at 100%.
Rojas spent the better portion of the second half playing through what he and the Dodgers initially deemed a torn left adductor muscle. He aggravated the injury on Sept. 26 and missed the team’s final series of the regular season that weekend.
Rojas used the bye week leading up to the National League Division Series to get treatment and was in the lineup for Games 1, 2 and 3. However, he again experienced trouble that led to being removed from Game 3 and missing the remainder of the NLDS.
According to Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times, Rojas’ injury now has been deemed a sports hernia but he is still hopeful of being available if the Dodgers reach the World Series:
Miguel Rojas has been diagnosed with a sports hernia that will require surgery after the season, but the shortstop, who was removed from the roster for the National League Championship Series, remains hopeful of playing in the World Series if the Dodgers advance.
Rojas had previously revealed this offseason was going to entail surgery for his injury and it otherwise was a matter of managing it as the Dodgers are on their October run.
Because of his physical limitations, the Dodgers left Rojas off their postseason roster for the NL Championship Series.
“It was obviously difficult,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said of the decision. “We are a much better team with Miguel Rojas a part of what we’re doing. Obviously he impacts the game in a lot of different ways.
“But just the re-aggravation of it, diving on defense and just how compromised the range would be, and the importance to get him right. Hopefully we can figure out how to win four games and have him alive for the next round.
“But it was one of those things that, we felt like, all we would do is set it back even more and have him not necessarily help us in this round and then also not be available.
“So it wasn’t easy. It’s unfortunate, but we’ve seen it a lot this year with the next-man-up mentality. And we saw it in the last round. We’ve had a lot of different things go on and guys have elevated their game and stepped up.”
How Dodgers replaced Miguel Rojas for NLCS
Kevin Kiermaier was added to the Dodgers’ playoff roster in place of Rojas, and Tommy Edman has taken over the everyday shortstop duties.
That in turn has also led to Kiké Hernández being in the Dodgers lineup on a regular basis, and he has rewarded the team with continued October heroics.
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