MLB announced Monday that Rojas has been suspended 80 games for violating the league's policy against performance-enhancing drugs, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports. Word of Rojas' looming suspension came out earlier this month, and Rojas lost his appeal. He won't be eligible to play in the regular season until late June. With Rojas set to miss the first half of the season, Justin Crawford and Brandon Marsh should see somewhat regular playing time in the Philadelphia outfield. Rojas posted an underwhelming .569 OPS across 172 plate appearances at the big-league level last regular season.
Rojas failed a drug test for performance-enhancing drugs and is appealing his 80-game suspension, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports. Barring a surprise during the appeals process, Rojas is poised to sit out the first half of 2026 due to the positive drug test. The 25-year-old appeared in 71 regular-season games for the Phillies last season and had a .569 OPS. Even if the appeal goes his way, Rojas is not guaranteed to make Philadelphia's Opening Day roster.
Rojas (quadriceps) will start in center field and bat ninth in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports. The 25-year-old was optioned to Triple-A last year after the Phillies acquired Harrison Bader at the trade deadline, and a subsequent quad injury kept Rojas from being an option in the postseason. Although heralded for his outfield defense, he has struggled offensively in the big leagues with a .633 OPS in 699 plate appearances. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has already said that he envisions a starting outfield consisting of Brandon Marsh, Justin Crawford and Adolis Garcia to begin 2026, but Rojas could provide a short-side platoon partner for Marsh in left field or Crawford in center.