Diamondbacks' Josh Rojas: Cleared to play Wednesday
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Rojas (legs) will start at third base and bat second in Wednesday's Cactus League split-squad game against the Giants.
Rojas has been dealing with some tightness in both of his legs and hasn't played in a spring game since March 8, but the Diamondbacks' decision to hold him out of action looks to have been mostly precautionary. The 28-year-old has moved between third base and second base over his first eight spring games, perhaps signaling that the Diamondbacks envision him filling more of a utility role in 2023.
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Diamondbacks' Josh Rojas: Expected back Wednesday
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Rojas (legs) is expected to play Wednesday, Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic reports.
Rojas has been held out of action while he deals with tightness in his legs. He has not played since the middle of last week.
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Diamondbacks' Josh Rojas: Scratched from Sunday lineup
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Rojas has been scratched from Sunday's Cactus League lineup against the Rockies for undisclosed reasons.
Rojas has been replaced in the lineup by Buddy Kennedy, who will hit seventh and play third base. There should be an update shortly as to why the veteran infielder is out of the lineup.
Rojas will earn $2.575 million in 2023 after losing his arbitration hearing to the Diamondbacks on Thursday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
Rojas had filed at $2.9 million in what was his first year of arbitration eligibility as a Super 2 qualifier. The 28-year-old put up a .739 OPS with nine home runs and 23 stolen bases for the Diamondbacks last season. Most of his playing time in 2023 will likely come at third base, though he figures to bounce around and could get starts in the designated hitter spot, too.
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Diamondbacks' Josh Rojas: Slugs go-ahead homer
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Rojas went 2-for-4 with a double and a two-run home run in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Brewers.
Rojas homered off righty reliever Trevor Gott with nobody out in the ninth inning to give Arizona a 3-2 lead. Across his final six games of 2022, the third baseman recorded a .409 average over 22 at-bats with three multi-hit games and four doubles. The 28-year-old closed out the season with a .269/.249/.391 slash line, nine home runs, 56 RBI, 66 runs and 23 steals in 510 plate appearances.
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Diamondbacks' Josh Rojas: Records lone Arizona hit
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Rojas went 1-for-3 with a steal in Tuesday's loss against the Brewers.
Rojas was one of the lone bright spots for Arizona, as he recorded the team's sole hit on the night. The hit, a single to lead off the seventh inning, spoiled Milwaukee's bid for a combined no-hitter and put him in position to swipe second base, which he did successfully. The stolen base was his 23rd of the season and third in his last five games. Over 506 plate appearances in 2022, Rojas has slashed .267/.347/.380.
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Diamondbacks' Josh Rojas: Doubles twice in three-hit game
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Rojas went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and an RBI in Sunday's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Giants.
Rojas collected six hits in three games in this weekend series versus the Giants. He added four RBI, two runs scored and a pair of stolen bases. He slumped in September, but he could finish the year strong with a small burst of offense in the final week. The versatile 28-year-old has maintained a .268/.348/.383 slash line with eight home runs, 54 RBI, 65 runs scored, 22 stolen bases and 24 doubles through 122 contests this season.
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Diamondbacks' Josh Rojas: Adds steal in loss
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Rojas went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 10-4 loss to the Giants.
This was Rojas' first multi-hit effort since Sept. 11. The 28-year-old had a rough month, going 15-for-74 (.203), which cost him some playing time in combination with sloppy defense. He's been more good than bad in 2022 overall, logging a .264/.345/.376 slash line with eight home runs, 51 RBI, 64 runs scored and 21 steals in 120 games.
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Diamondbacks' Josh Rojas: Returns to lineup
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Rojas started at third base and went 0-for-2 with two walks and a run scored in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Giants.
Rojas was held out of the starting lineup the previous three games -- two against left-handers and one against a right-hander -- largely due to erratic defense. He returned to action against San Francisco righty Alex Cobb Going forward, he could share third base with righty-hitting Emmanuel Rivera or switch hitter Sergio Alcantara.
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Diamondbacks' Josh Rojas: Remains infielder for now
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Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said Rojas will remain an infielder through the end of the season, Jose M. Romero of the Arizona Republic reprots.
Rojas has had recent defensive issues and was held out Friday's starting lineup for the third straight game -- two against a lefty and one against a righty. The recent lineup decisions appear to be more about the defensive issues than a lefty-on-lefty matter, but Rojas has not started the last four against lefties. Lovullo said he'll continue to use him as an infielder, but there will be discussions in the offseason about what may be the best fit for Rojas, who has experience in the outfield and at multiple infield positions. Next season's outfield appears well stocked, so he would be unlikely to get 500 plate appearances if limited to outfield. Pending any offseason acquisitions, Rojas could move back to being a super utility player, but that would also cap his opportunities.
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Diamondbacks' Josh Rojas: Out against Rodon
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Rojas is not in Friday's lineup against the Giants.
The recent trend of Rojas sitting against left-handed pitchers continues with him taking a seat against Carlos Rodon. Sergio Alcantara is starting at third base and hitting seventh.
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Diamondbacks' Josh Rojas: Defense costing playing time
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Rojas was held out of Wednesday's start because he's slipped defensively, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.
The lefty-hitting Rojas is usually a lineup staple against right-handed starters -- Dustin May was on the mound for the Dodgers -- but he was replaced at third base by Emmanuel Rivera, a right-handed batter. Rojas failed to convert three chances during an ugly eighth inning Tuesday, when the Dodgers plated five runs in a 6-5 Arizona loss. "I told him he has to work out here pregame, he's got to get back to the basic fundamentals and develop that feeling and flow and a confidence in picking up ground balls," manager Torey Lovullo said. Infield coach Tony Perezchica is working with Rojas on the infielder's technique. Rojas is tied at 32nd out of 36 qualified third basemen with a minus-7 outs above average.
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Diamondbacks' Josh Rojas: Sitting out Wednesday
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Rojas isn't starting Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.
Rojas will take a seat Wednesday after going 1-for-4 in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader. While he rests, Emmanuel Rivera will take his spot at third base and bat fifth.
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Diamondbacks' Josh Rojas: Sitting for nightcap
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Rojas isn't in the lineup for Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Dodgers.
Rojas will take a seat in Game 2 as the lefty Tyler Anderson will start for Los Angeles. Emmanuel Rivera will take over as the D-backs' third baseman and bat fifth.
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Diamondbacks' Josh Rojas: Rides bench Monday
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Rojas isn't in the lineup for Monday's contest against the Dodgers.
Rojas will retreat to the bench with southpaw Clayton Kershaw taking the mound for Los Angeles. Emmanuel Rivera will take his spot at third base and bat fifth.
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Diamondbacks' Josh Rojas: Riding pine against southpaw
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Rojas isn't in the lineup Friday against the Padres.
Rojas started against a left-handed pitcher Thursday against San Diego but will head to the bench for the third time in the last five games since southpaw Blake Snell is on the mound Friday. Sergio Alcantara is starting at the hot corner and batting seventh.
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Diamondbacks' Josh Rojas: Sits again versus lefty
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Rojas isn't in Arizona's lineup for Tuesday's game against the Dodgers.
The Dodgers will start Tuesday's game with lefty Clayton Kershaw on the mound, so Rojas will miss his second consecutive game as Arizona elects to play with favorable matchups. Just like Monday, Emmanuel Rivera will start at third base and bat fifth in the order.
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Diamondbacks' Josh Rojas: Takes seat Monday
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Rojas isn't in Arizona's lineup Monday against the Dodgers.
The lefty-hitting Rojas will take a seat Monday with lefty-throwing Tyler Anderson on the bump for Los Angeles. Emmanuel Rivera will take over third base in his absence and bat fifth in the order.
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Diamondbacks' Josh Rojas: Riding pine Saturday
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Rojas isn't starting Saturday against the Rockies.
Rojas is getting a breather after he hit .233 with a home run, a double, five runs, five RBI and two stolen bases over the last eight games. Emmanuel Rivera will start at the hot corner and bat sixth.
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Diamondbacks' Josh Rojas: Hits leadoff blast
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Rojas went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 6-5 loss to the Padres.
Rojas got his contribution out of the way quickly, taking Joe Musgrove's first pitch of the game deep to left field for a leadoff homer. This ended a 20-game homer drought for Rojas, who hit .276 with five doubles, 10 RBI and 11 runs scored in that span. The 28-year-old has been fairly steady this year with a .275/.354/.401 slash line, eight long balls, 19 stolen bases, 46 RBI and 58 runs scored through 103 games.
