Dodgers Interview: Miguel Rojas Reflects on Big Night at the Plate
“Sometimes you just have to wait for the good wave."
LOS ANGELES — Veteran infielder Miguel Rojas made a rare start and made it count Friday night, launching a solo home run and helping power the Dodgers to a 6–5 win over the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium. It was a gratifying performance for Rojas, who has seen limited action in recent weeks, particularly against right-handed pitching.
“I just kind of stayed true to myself and continue to work every single day,” Rojas said postgame. “I know it’s a long season and you’re going to receive more opportunities to contribute. And it’s nice to finally get one game like this where you feel part of it—not just defensively or anything like that, but doing what you’re supposed to do against left-handed pitching.”
Rojas, who has largely been deployed in a platoon role, emphasized that he’s been using his time out of the starting lineup to refine his swing and stay prepared. “I’ve been receiving every opportunity to play against lefties,” he explained. “So I just made a couple adjustments in the cage while I wasn’t playing, and I was always going to keep working hard to find a way to contribute at some point.”
Though Rojas wasn’t ready to say he’d found a breakthrough offensively, he acknowledged the difficulty of getting into rhythm with so few chances. “Not really,” he said when asked if he felt something clicking recently. “It’s just like—it’s really hard to come off the bench. I mean, we had four lefties the whole month. Even though you always want to be there and show up when you have the opportunity, it’s hard to kind of get on rhythm.”
He added, “Sometimes you just have to wait for the good wave. With the track record, you know the season is not over after one month. You can’t jump to conclusions that you can’t do it anymore or anything like that. Just stay true to yourself and believe in myself.”
Rojas’s homer came at a critical moment in a tight game, capping off an emotional stretch for the Dodgers, who had just come off a gauntlet of games against division rivals like the Padres and Giants.
“We talk about it. It’s a real thing,” Rojas said of shifting gears emotionally after a string of hard-fought division matchups. “The whole month we’ve been playing against teams at the top of their divisions and at the top of their game. I feel like we had really good conversations among the hitters about not letting our guard down.”
The Dodgers made a conscious effort not to overlook the Nationals. “Not taking any offense to the teams we’re playing, but we know we’re coming from a series that felt like a playoff,” Rojas said. “We need to continue to get wins because we’re going to need them.”
With the Nationals series followed by matchups against sub-.500 teams, Rojas said the team sees this part of the schedule as an opportunity.
“To be honest with you, this is a part of the year where we always get hot,” he said. “We get a lot of wins in the middle of the year like this. I know we played .500 ball for a long time, and that’s not who we are. It’s a long season, and you’re going to get into stretches where you don’t play as good of baseball, but I feel like right now everything is clicking.”
He pointed to the intensity of recent games as a turning point. “Playing the Giants and Padres back-to-back, there and here, kind of got us to where we want to be. And it’s nice to see that the guys are responding.”
Rojas also took a moment to appreciate pitching behind Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw, who made his seventh start of the season and earned his third win.
“It’s nice to play behind him. I don’t take it for granted,” Rojas said. “I remember my first times playing—12 years ago when I first debuted—playing behind him and knowing how good he was. And how good he is right now for the team is really special.”
With Kershaw approaching a career milestone, Rojas noted that the lefty remains locked in. “Knowing that he’s approaching 3,000 [strikeouts], every pitch counts, every strikeout counts. But for him, I feel like it’s more important to win games.”
“For him to be 3–0 with really good numbers overall—I think I’m happy for him that he’s healthy, happy, and able to contribute.”
Friday night’s performance from Rojas was a reminder of the value of depth and veteran presence on a team aiming for another deep October run. And for Rojas, it was more than just one swing—it was a signal that he’s still ready to help whenever his number is called.
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