In Major League Baseball, players often start with a high number before switching to a lower one after establishing themselves.
Such was the case for players including Clayton Kershaw, who began his career in No. 54, and Miguel Rojas, who debuted with the Dodgers in No. 72.
But it is far more unusual for a player to return to a high number later in their career. However, that is the case for Miguel Rojas, who is switching back to No. 72 after wearing No. 11 with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the past two years.
Rojas switching numbers allows Roki Sasaki to wear No. 11, which is the uniform number worn by his idol, Yu Darvish.
It was first reported Sasaki would wear 11 by a Japanese newspaper, but Rojas hinted at his number change with two posts on Instagram with the captions “It’s time” and “Back to the roots.”
With Roki Sasaki taking 11, Miguel Rojas also seems to be switching to 72 based on his IG posts yesterday. https://t.co/F7KkJrOg9s pic.twitter.com/ZciSjyYYtn
— Blake (@ByBlakeWilliams) January 19, 2025
Rojas also wore No. 19 while with the Miami Marlins before changing to 11, but 19 is retired by the Dodgers for Jim Gilliam.
Sasaki wore 17 and 14 during his time in Japan, but the former is currently taken by Shohei Ohtani while the latter is retired by the Dodgers for Gil Hodges.
It’s unclear if any compensation was provided to Rojas for his number, but perhaps he can cash in like Joe Kelly did last year when he gave his number to Ohtani and received a Porsche as a thank you gift.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s role in recruiting Roki Sasaki
Sasaki chose to sign with the Dodgers from a group of finalists that also included the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays.
It was an outcome many expected, and one that was preceded by an MLB investigation prior to Sasaki being posted to ensure there wasn’t a handshake agreement between him and the Dodgers.
The Dodgers had a group of stars meet with Sasaki prior to signing him, but it was Yoshinobu Yamamoto who was instrumental in the process by highlighting how the Dodgers can help his transition from Nippon Professional Baseball.
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