Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Thursday that Rojas will have to earn the everyday center field job next spring, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
Rojas slashed .302/.342/.430 over his first 164 major-league plate appearances during the 2023 regular season and became the Phillies' primary center fielder down the stretch, but the 23-year-old then went 4-for-43 (.093) in the playoffs as Philadelphia ultimately fell to the Arizona in the NLCS. Rojas jumped directly from Double-A to the majors in July and could perhaps spend some time at the Triple-A level to begin the 2024 campaign.
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Phillies' Johan Rojas: On bench for first game
Rotowire
Rojas will be on the bench for the afternoon portion of Saturday's twin bill against the Mets.
Rojas finds himself on the bench for the second game in a row, though he's likely to return to the lineup for the nightcap. He's made a good impression in his first major-league season, hitting .298/.340/.418 with 14 steals in 156 plate appearances while playing strong defense in center field. He managed just two homers, and his miniscule 0.9 percent barrel rate suggests we shouldn't expect many more next season, but his glove should earn him plenty of chances to play even if he can't repeat his numbers at the plate. For now, it will be Brandon Marsh who starts in center field.
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Phillies' Johan Rojas: Out of Wednesday's lineup
Rotowire
Rojas is not in Wednesday's lineup against Atlanta.
Rojas has played his way into a semi-regular role as a rookie, slashing .301/.344/.439 with two home runs, 12 steals and quality center field defense through 136 plate appearances. Jake Cave draws into the lineup at first base with Bryce Harper starting at designated hitter, pushing Kyle Schwarber to left field.
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Phillies' Johan Rojas: Belts two-run homer
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Rojas went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Monday's win over Atlanta.
Rojas' second-inning home run was the first of five long balls for the Phillies on Monday. It was his second career homer and first since Aug. 11, snapping a 27-game drought. He's gone 8-for-20 (.400) with four extra-base hits over his last six games. Rojas owns a .300/.344/.442 slash line through 133 plate appearances.
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Phillies' Johan Rojas: Not starting Sunday
Rotowire
Rojas is out of the lineup for Sunday's game at St. Louis.
Rojas started the past four games in center field and will receive a day off after he went 6-for-14 with three doubles, two steals, an RBI and two runs. Bryce Harper is serving as the designated hitter Sunday, resulting in Kyle Schwarber moving to left field and Brandon Marsh to center.
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Phillies' Johan Rojas: On bench against righty again
Rotowire
Rojas is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants.
Rojas has now sat out the Phillies' last two matchups with right-handed pitchers and looks to have moved into a short-side platoon role after Philadelphia recently welcomed Brandon Marsh back from the injured list. With Marsh set to start in center field more often than not, he'll likely be flanked by Nick Castellanos in right field and either Kyle Schwarber or Jake Cave in left field when the Phillies oppose righties.
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Phillies' Johan Rojas: Heads to bench in Marsh's return
Rotowire
Rojas is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.
With Brandon Marsh (knee) starting in center field Sunday in his return from the 10-day injured list, Rojas will be the odd man out of the outfield while Jake Cave and Nick Castellanos handle duties in left and right field, respectively. Like Castellanos, Marsh should be locked into a near-everyday role against right-handed pitching moving forward, leaving Rojas to battle with Cave for reps at the other outfield spots on days that Kyle Schwarber is serving as a designated hitter. Though Rojas is the superior defender of the two, Cave may have the edge on playing time at the moment after going 6-for-11 with four extra-base hits over his last three starts.
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Phillies' Johan Rojas: Sits down Saturday
Rotowire
Rojas isn't in the Phillies' lineup Saturday against the Twins.
After belting the first homer of his career during Friday's blowout win, Rojas will catch a breather Saturday. Jake Cave will take over in center field and bat eighth while Rojas sits.
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Phillies' Johan Rojas: Slugs first career homer
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Rojas went 1-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBI in Friday's 13-2 rout of the Twins.
The rookie's first career homer came in the eighth inning, as he launched a two-run shot off position player Jordan Luplow -- for which Rojas apologized as he crossed home plate, per Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The 22-year-old center fielder is slashing .306/.338/.419 through his first 67 plate appearances in the majors with five steals, nine runs and 12 RBI.
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Phillies' Johan Rojas: Heads to bench Thursday
Rotowire
Rojas is not in Thursday's lineup against the Marlins.
Rojas had started four games in a row, two against righties and two against lefties, before heading to the bench for this one. He is hitting .235 with two doubles, zero home runs, one steal and seven strikeouts in his last five games. Jake Cave draws the start in his place.
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Phillies' Johan Rojas: Nabs fourth straight start
Rotowire
Rojas will start in center field and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Marlins.
Rojas will stick in the lineup for a fourth consecutive game, with two of his starts coming versus southpaws and two coming versus right-handed pitchers. The 22-year-old has held his own thus far in a limited sample of 32 plate appearances in the majors, slashing .310/.333/.345 with a palatable 25 percent strikeout rate. He's made his largest impact on the basepaths (three steals in three attempts) and on defense. If the Phillies commit to Rojas as a full-time player in the outfield, it would allow the team to deploy Brandon Marsh at a corner spot and move either Kyle Schwarber or Nick Castellanos -- both defensive liabilities -- to designated hitter.
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Phillies' Johan Rojas: Returns to bench role
Rotowire
Rojas is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Brewers.
Rojas made three starts in center field during the Phillies' series with the Padres over the weekend, but he's found himself on the bench for the first two games of the series versus the Brewers while Milwaukee has brought right-handed starting pitchers to the hill Tuesday and Wednesday. He looks like he'll be limited to a short-side platoon role in the Philadelphia outfield while Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh and Nick Castellanos are all healthy and available.
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Phillies' Johan Rojas: Summoned from Double-A
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Rojas was recalled from Double-A Reading on Friday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Rojas was added to the Phillies' 40-man roster over the offseason and has had a breakout year at the plate, batting .306/.361/.484 with nine home runs and 30 stolen bases for Reading. He can play all three outfield spots and should fill the role vacated by Cristian Pache (undisclosed) as a short-side platoon option in center field for Brandon Marsh. It figures to be a short stay in Philly for Rojas, who will likely to head back to the minors when Pache returns from the injured list.
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Phillies' Johan Rojas: Contract selected by Phillies
Rotowire
Rojas' contract was selected by the Phillies on Tuesday.
The move means Rojas can't be selected in the Rule 5 draft. The speedy outfielder may have a big-league future, and his wheels will give him added fantasy value if and when he eventually arrives, but his bat doesn't yet appear ready to push for a big-league spot. He struggled to a 68 wRC+ in 70 games for High-A Jersey Shore, though he at least improved to a respectable 100 wRC+ (the result of a .260/.333/.387 slash line) in 60 games for Double-A Reading. A strong start for Triple-A Lehigh Valley this year could earn him a big-league look, at which point the speed which helped him steal 62 bases last year could send fantasy players scrambling to pick him up.
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Phillies' Johan Rojas: Promoted to Double-A
Rotowire
Rojas was promoted to Double-A Reading on Thursday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Rojas displayed plenty of speed at High-A Jersey Shore to begin the year, as he stole 32 bases while slashing .229/.287/.323 with three homers, 40 runs and 21 RBI over 70 games. He worked with the team's major-league training staff and will now be rewarded with a promotion to the Double-A level.
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Phillies' Johan Rojas: Out with undisclosed injury
Rotowire
Rojas is on the 60-day injured list at Low-A Clearwater with an undisclosed injury.
He hit .240/.299/.385 with six home runs and 13 steals in 65 games prior to landing on the shelf. The 20-year-old outfielder has impressive physical tools, but this was not quite the breakout campaign his dynasty managers were hoping for.
