Miguel Rojas has been out of the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup for six consecutive games while dealing with a left groin injury he suffered while turning an unassisted double play during the series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 2.
The Dodgers hoped Rojas would return to the lineup on Friday, but they continued to hold him out through Saturday’s game at Chase Field. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated Rojas would have been able to play in different circumstances, but they wanted to be cautious with their starting shortstop before he returned for the series finale.
Rojas also acknowledged he’s been ready to play, but he and the Dodgers decided it would be best to take the long approach to better ensure full health, via SportsNet LA:
“The thing right now is not being rushed to get back in the lineup. Knowing that if something happened along the way of me wanting to play and be back in there, I felt like I was ready to play [Friday] and I was available, but we’re trying to be smart. It’s not just me. It’s the organization as well. Doc and the front office are trying to keep me on the field. Not just when I get back, it’s for a couple days and then something happens.
“We’re thinking about the whole season. … Going back into the lineup too quick, if something happens, I’m down for a month. We don’t want that to happen. We’d rather give it a little bit more time to be 100% ready and then whatever happens, we can live with the consequences.”
Without Rojas, the Dodgers have turned to Chris Taylor at shortstop. Taylor was originally expected to play in a platoon outfield role, but the Dodgers have been getting production from that group, headlined by James Outman and Jason Heyward.
Before Rojas took over as the starting shortstop, he was projected to fill a utility role. He was pushed into a starting job when Gavin Lux tore his ACL and LCL during Spring Training. That also led to Rojas withdrawing from the 2023 World Baseball Classic to prepare for the season.
Miguel Rojas injury puts Dodgers infield depth in spotlight
Part of the reason the Dodgers have remained cautious with Rojas is because of their lack of depth in the infield.
The Dodgers don’t have many options if Rojas were to suffer any sort of setback that in turn required him to miss more time. Additional infielders on the Dodgers 40-man roster who currently are not up with the club are Michael Busch, Yonny Hernández, Eddys Leonard and Jorbit Vivas.
Although Busch may make the biggest impact of the group, Hernández would likely be called upon because of his ability to play shortstop.
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