Miguel Rojas said Sunday he will be available for the series finale against the White Sox after leaving Saturday’s game early with a shin issue, though he is not in the starting lineup and could be used later off the bench.
Rojas exited the June 13 game in the seventh inning after being checked by the trainer during an at-bat. He drew a walk and then allowed Santiago Espinal to run for him; Espinal subsequently took over at second base. Rojas said he had felt the problem “out of the box” earlier in the game and again while trying to get out of the way of a pitch, and that he didn’t want to risk a defensive mistake while Yoshinobu Yamamoto was in the midst of a perfect game, so he came out.
Rojas told reporters he had been playing through the shin issue for a few days before Saturday’s exit and that the decision to leave was precautionary. He reiterated on Sunday that he was available to play, repeating that he had been managing the shin discomfort for several days but felt he could still contribute in the finale.
The immediate impact on the roster is limited but practical: Rojas is not starting Sunday, but the team left the door open to use him as a late-game replacement or matchup option. His season numbers—hitting.260 with a.659 OPS, one home run and 11 RBIs—make him a useful bench piece who can cover second base and shortstop when needed.
Rojas’s role in the manager’s infield mix matters because he has served as a regular part of Dave Roberts’ infield platoon, filling in at both second base and shortstop. That versatility is why his availability is worth reporting even though he’s not in the lineup: on days when he isn’t starting, he is often the first call for a defensive replacement or a pinch-hitting chance late in close games.
The clear friction here is that Rojas insisted he would be available Sunday despite not being named to start. His presence on the bench would preserve infield depth and allow the staff to use him in short bursts, but the club has not publicly described the exact severity of the shin issue or whether any further treatment will be required.
What matters next is straightforward and unanswered: Rojas can enter Sunday’s game as a substitute, and that is the likeliest near-term outcome. The more consequential open question is whether the shin issue will limit him beyond the series finale or force a change to how much the staff leans on him in the coming days. For now, he’s available; how much the team uses him will depend on how the shin responds to routine care and game activity.
