Miguel Elias Rojas Naidenoff (born February 24, 1989) is a Venezuelan professional baseball shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the Dodgers in 2014 and also played in MLB for the Miami Marlins from 2015 to 2022.
Professional career
Cincinnati Reds
Minor leagues
Rojas was signed by the Cincinnati Reds organization as an amateur free agent in 2006 out of Venezuela and played for their affiliates in the Venezuelan Summer League and Dominican Summer League through 2007. In 2008, the Reds moved him to their domestic affiliate in the rookie-class Pioneer Baseball League, where he hit .183 in 61 games.
Rojas progressed through the Reds' farm system, playing for the Class-A Dayton Dragons in 2009, the Advanced-A Lynchburg Hillcats in 2010, the Double-A Carolina Mudcats in 2010 and 2011, and the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos and the Triple-A Louisville Bats in 2012.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Minor leagues
After the 2012 season, Rojas became a free agent and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. He spent the 2013 season with the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Double–A Southern League, where he hit .233 in 130 games. In 2014, he received a non-roster invite to Major League spring training, where he was given a chance to compete for the vacant second base job. The Dodgers assigned him to the Triple–A Albuquerque Isotopes to start 2014, where he hit .302 in 51 games.
2014 season
The Dodgers promoted Rojas to the major leagues for the first time on June 6, 2014. He made his major league debut that day as a late-inning defensive replacement. His first hit was a single off Matt Belisle of the Colorado Rockies in his first start on June 8.
Rojas finished the 2014 regular season hitting only .181 with one home run and nine RBIs in 85 games. He frequently took over for Hanley Ramírez at shortstop late in games for defensive purposes. On June 18, he successfully made an extremely difficult defensive play to preserve a no hitter thrown by Clayton Kershaw in the 7th inning.
Miami Marlins
On December 10, 2014, the Dodgers traded Rojas, along with Dee Gordon and Dan Haren, to the Miami Marlins in exchange for Andrew Heaney, Chris Hatcher, Austin Barnes, and Enrique "Kiké" Hernández.
2015 season
In 2015, Rojas batted .282 with one home run and 17 RBI in 142 at-bats across 60 games. This earned Rojas more playing time the next season as he appeared in 123 games, slashing .247/.288/.325 with one home run and 14 RBI.
2017 season
In 2017, Rojas missed 62 games due to a broken thumb, but still appeared in 90 games, hitting for a .290.361/.375 batting line with one home run and 26 RBI in 272 at-bats. Rojas also led all NL shortstops in September and October with a .354 batting average and .948 OPS.
2018 season
In 2018, Rojas set career-highs in nearly every offensive category; games played (153), runs (44), hits (123), home runs (11), RBI (53), and stolen bases (6).
2019 season
In 2019, Rojas batted .284/.331/.379, with the lowest isolated power in the National League (.095). On September 23, 2019, Rojas agreed to a new two-year contract with the Marlins, worth $10.25 million.
2020 season
In late July 2020, Rojas tested positive for COVID-19. Despite testing positive, Rojas partnered with the company Stadium Custom Kicks during the 2020 season, branding the partnership as Miggy's Locker. The partnership allowed Rojas to design custom-made cleats to express his passion in shoes and basketball. Overall in 2020, Rojas's batting line was all career-highs, with a .304/.392/.496 line on the year to go along with four home runs and 20 RBI. Rojas got into a verbal altercation with rookie Jazz Chisholm after Rojas ruined multiple custom made cleats that belonged to Chisholm, cutting them with scissors and pouring milk in them. Chisholm criticized Rojas calling him a bad team captain and bad teammate saying that behavior like his shows lack of leadership in bringing rookie teammates down.
2021 season
In 2021, Rojas played in 132 games, collecting 131 hits, 48 RBIs, 13 stolen bases, and a career-high 37 walks. On October 28, 2021, the Marlins signed Rojas to a two-year contract extension worth $10 million.
2022 season
On October 3, 2022, it was announced that Rojas would undergo wrist surgery to repair a torn triangular fibrocartilage complex in his right wrist. He underwent an additional procedure in January after another minor issue arose.
Los Angeles Dodgers (second stint)
On January 11, 2023, Rojas was traded back to the Dodgers in exchange for Jacob Amaya.
2023 season
On February 4, the Dodgers announced a contract extension with Rojas that would pay him $5 million for 2024 and included a $5 million club option for 2025. While initially expected to be a utility player, Rojas wound up the starting shortstop when Gavin Lux went down with a season ending knee injury in spring training. He played in 124 games, batting .236. He had two hits in six at-bats in the 2023 NLDS.
2024 season
Lux returned in 2024 but moved to second base and Mookie Betts took over at shortstop, leaving Rojas as utility player to start the season before returning to short when Betts was hurt at midseason. He went on the injured list at the end of July with right forearm inflammation and returned August 7. He remained in the lineup until tearing his adductor muscle in late September. For the season, Rojas batted .283 in 103 games. The team voted Rojas the winner of the Roy Campanella Award, which exemplifies the spirit and leadership of the late Hall of Fame catcher. He started at shortstop for the Dodgers to begin the 2024 NLDS, and had two hits in eight at-bats over the first three games of the series. However, he aggravated a leg injury in the third game and did not play in the rest of the series and was left off the roster for the NLCS. Rojas returned to the roster for the 2024 World Series, but only played in Game 2, where he was hitless in three at-bats. He collected his first World Series championship when the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in five games. After the season, the Dodgers picked up his contract option for the 2025 season.
2025 season
Rojas switched his jersey number from 11 to 72, the number he first wore as a rookie with the team, after a request from Andrew Friedman in the Dodgers pursuit of Roki Sasaki.
International career
Rojas has played for Tiburones de La Guaira in the Venezuelan Winter League during the offseason since 2009, which included playing in the 2012 Caribbean Series.