Miguel Rojas stayed in full Dodgers uniform after the season ended Thursday night, cleats still on, taking his time with a goodbye he had been considering for months. Los Angeles had just fallen 6-4 to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, a sweep that ended its chase for a third straight World Series crown.
After Dave Roberts addressed the club, the manager turned the room over to Rojas. The 37-year-old infielder told his teammates that his playing career was finished after 13 Major League seasons and 21 years in professional baseball.
“This is it, guys,” Rojas told the clubhouse. “I’m going to move on to the next part of my life, my career and the baseball world. This was the last time I wore the uniform and my cleats as a player. It’s really difficult to take them off right now.”
Quick facts
- Rojas announced his retirement after the Dodgers’ 6-4 Game 4 loss to Milwaukee in the NLCS.
- The Brewers completed a four-game sweep and stopped Los Angeles’ bid for a third consecutive World Series title.
- Rojas played 13 seasons in the majors and spent 21 years in professional baseball.
- He won two World Series rings during his second Dodgers stint.
- He is expected to remain with the organization in player development after his playing days.
Rojas entered the majors with the Dodgers in 2014, initially known as a glove-first utility infielder. That first summer included one of the enduring images of Clayton Kershaw’s June no-hitter, when Rojas made a diving backhand play at third base to preserve it.
He went on to spend eight seasons with the Miami Marlins, becoming an everyday shortstop and club captain. When the Dodgers brought him back before the 2023 season, he arrived as experienced infield insurance from the outside view.
Inside the room, he became far more. Rojas organized postgame conversations, pressed teammates on the small details and supplied a steady voice in a clubhouse crowded with MVPs and future Hall of Famers.
Freddie Freeman said Rojas built a legacy that will remain part of the organization for years. Freeman said the veteran affected countless people in the club and lamented that the Dodgers could not send him out with a third championship.
“The game is hard, sports are hard and life is hard,” Freeman said. “Sometimes you give everything you have and still fall short. That’s where we are.”
For Mookie Betts, Rojas was a daily teacher during Betts’ time moving between right field and shortstop. Betts described him as a fatherly presence, always watching, offering instruction and making sure the work was done correctly.
Betts also pointed to Rojas as the Dodgers’ vocal leader, the player willing to speak up, demand effort and hold the room accountable. Losing him in uniform, Betts said, will change the feel of the club.
Across his final four seasons, Rojas appeared in 446 games for Los Angeles and hit .260 while providing dependable defense around the infield. His second Dodgers run included the 2024 championship and a defining October swing in 2025, when he tied Game 7 of the World Series against Toronto with a ninth-inning home run.
He will not be leaving Chavez Ravine for long. Rojas signed a one-year deal for 2026 that included an agreement to move into a player-development position once he retired. His exact job title has yet to be determined.
“I told them I’m going to be loyal,” Rojas said. “I want to stay here. I want to wear this uniform or logo in another role and keep helping the organization get better.”
His final address to the team was not built around career totals, rings or retirement. Rojas thanked the people around him for the growth he found in Los Angeles, as a player, father, teammate and leader.
He said the organization gave him the freedom to be himself and help shape the club’s culture. His hope, he said, is that the standard remains in place long after the cleats are finally untied.
