Miguel Rojas announced his retirement from baseball Thursday at age 37, closing out a 13-year playing career hours after the Los Angeles Dodgers were swept out of the NLCS by the Milwaukee Brewers, who won 6-4 to clinch a trip to the World Series.
An emotional Rojas told reporters after the game that he had played his final inning as a player.
“No, I think this is it, guys. This is it as a player. That was my last game played. That was the last time that I put these cleats on and this uniform on as a player. From now on, I’m going to start thinking about what’s going to happen in my life as a baseball person.”
Rojas leaves the game as a two-time World Series champion and the author of one of the most memorable swings in Dodgers history. In the ninth inning of Game 7 of the 2025 World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, with Los Angeles down a run, Rojas hit a game-tying solo home run that sent the contest to extra innings. The Dodgers won that night and claimed their second straight title.
Rojas said he intends to stay in the game, just not as a player, and hopes to do it with the Dodgers organization.
“I want to start my career on the other side of this business and I’m looking forward to do it here, with the Los Angeles Dodgers, as well. It’s really hard because I never wanted to make a big conference or anything like that but I just wanted to be clear with the guys and with everybody in this clubhouse that this was it. I’m ready to move on and start the next chapter of my career.”
Rojas started his career with the Dodgers before being traded to the Miami Marlins after his rookie season. He spent eight seasons in Miami before a trade sent him back to Los Angeles ahead of the 2023 season, where he played out his final four years.
“Yeah, the last four years here for me have changed my life and I can’t be more proud of being a Los Angeles Dodger for the time that I was here and I promise the guys loyalty forever because they helped me grow. And not just as a player but as a person, as a leader, as a future coach or whatever my job is going to be in the future as a baseball man, and I’m just so happy that I got to wear this uniform until the last day of my career.”
He acknowledged the sting of this year’s exit compared with the two championship runs before it, but said the whole stretch is something he’ll carry with him.
“I know losing the last game of the season this year it doesn’t feel the same as the last two years but there’s a lot of things to be happy for and to be proud for being part of this group and trying to win three times in a row. It was special and that’s something that I’m going to remember forever, the good, the bads, the up and downs, is all part of the process and is all part of the journey.”
Rojas built his reputation more on glove work than bat speed, prized across his career for his versatility around the infield. He finishes with a .260 average, 61 home runs and 386 RBI over 1,401 career games.
