The Los Angeles Dodgers’ quest for a third straight World Series title officially ended Thursday night with an NLCS loss, but the bigger news dropped right after the final out: Miguel Rojas, a true postseason hero, announced he’s played his last game. It’s a shocking end to a season they’d built up to be special, especially after beating the Philadelphia Phillies in last year’s playoffs.
The Retirement Plan That Got Delayed
This isn’t exactly out of nowhere, though. Rojas had actually dropped hints about his retirement plans way back after that Phillies series last year. He told Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation, “I’m 36 years old. It’s been a wild ride. I’ve given it everything I’ve had in my four years here. Hopefully, I can finish my career here. Because I’m going to retire after next year.” So, going into the 2026 season, the clock was already ticking. As the season rolled on, not much more was said about it, but the veteran did admit that the *only* way he’d even consider playing another year was if it meant staying with the Dodgers. Dodgers analyst Jeff Spiegel even wrote, “Miguel Rojas said on the broadcast that he hasn’t ruled out returning for the 2027 season, but has said he won’t really be a free agent since the Dodgers are the only team he’d consider playing for. If they offer a deal, he might be back.” It sounded like there was a glimmer of hope, right?
From Hero To Goodbye: Rojas Calls It A Career
But alas, after Los Angeles’s tough NLCS loss on Thursday, all eyes were on Rojas, and he delivered the news fans were dreading. He confirmed he had played his final game. “This is it,” Rojas said. “I don’t even wanna take off my cleats right now.” Talk about an emotional exit. Rojas definitely left his mark, especially with those two World Series championships he helped bring home. The guy was beloved by everyone, from the fanbase to manager Dave Roberts and all his teammates. Rojas was playing this season on a $5.5 million contract, and you’ve gotta wonder if an injury he picked up during the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves helped him realize it was time to walk away, even though he kept playing through it.
It’s a tough way for the Dodgers season to end, and even tougher for Rojas to hang up the cleats after an injury. But what a run he had. There’s a strong chance he could stay with the Dodgers organization in another role, which would be pretty cool. Either way, Rojas gave ’em everything he had for four years and two World Series rings. That’s a legacy right there.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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