“This is it,” Miguel Rojas told reporters afterward. “I’m moving on with the next chapter in my life.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers veteran announced his retirement from baseball on Thursday night after his team was swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series, bringing an end to a 13-year Major League Baseball career. Standing by his locker at Dodger Stadium with red, tearful eyes and a uniform covered in dirt, Rojas delivered the news to his teammates during a postgame meeting following a 6–4 defeat.
Cleats Stay On After Emotional Postgame Address
The 37-year-old veteran admitted he struggled to remove his gear in the clubhouse after the final out of the series. Even after speaking with reporters in full game attire, Rojas confessed that taking off his cleats marked a painful finality.
“It’s really hard to take them off right now,” Rojas said. “It was really emotional after the game.”
Reflecting on his four total seasons across two separate stints with the franchise, the Venezuelan native noted how deeply the organization impacted his personal life. After debuting in the majors with Los Angeles in 2014, he was traded to the Miami Marlins, where he spent eight seasons before returning to the Dodgers via a 2023 trade. Beyond his on-field production, which included a .260 career batting average, Rojas earned three Roy Campanella Awards for his clubhouse leadership.
Transition Into Player Development in Los Angeles
Rather than walking away from baseball entirely, Rojas will remain within the Dodgers organization. Having agreed to transition into a player development role, he expects that it will serve as a stepping stone toward a future coaching career.
“I wanna stay here,” Rojas said. “I wanna wear this uniform or this logo in a different capacity.”
Teammates immediately praised his lasting impact on the franchise’s culture following back-to-back World Series titles in 2024 and 2025—the latter secured in part by his crucial Game 7 ninth-inning home run against the Blue Jays. First baseman Freddie Freeman emphasized the depth of that influence inside the clubhouse.
“He built a legacy,” Freeman said. “We’ll be talking about Miguel Rojas for a long time.”
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