Miguel Rojas was 16 years old when he signed his first professional baseball contract with the Cincinnati Reds.
His journey took him around the world and has now ended, 21 years later.
Rojas, having had his 2026 season end with the Los Angeles Dodgers, announced Thursday night that he is retiring.
The middle infielder would’ve hoped for a Dodgers three-peat, but the Milwaukee Brewers swept the Dodgers out of the NLCS. There had been whispers that Rojas would likely retire, and he didn’t waste any time making that official.
Reds fans may not even realize Rojas once was in their organization — but it speaks greatly to Rojas that he was still around more than two decades after signing.
And as some of you will have realized, the last name Rojas derives from the Spanish word for “red,” so maybe there’s some extra little connection there.
Miguel Rojas With Reds
Rojas was a teenage ballplayer in Venezuela, and international youngsters like that are allowed to sign with MLB clubs when they’re 16.
He turned 16 in February 2005, and it was in November that he signed with the Reds.
Rojas never made it to the major leagues in a Cincinnati uniform, though.
He did ascend as high as Triple-A Louisville, which he only reached in 2012. But in 44 games there, he batted .186. He hit just .210 at Double-A Pensacola in his other 58 games that season, too, and the Reds had seen enough.
When Rojas entered free agency that offseason, the Reds didn’t bring him back. The Dodgers signed him.
Miguel Rojas Career
His breakthrough didn’t really come until 2014, when he hit .303 at Triple-A Albuquerque and got called up to the majors for the first time. He hit just .181 in 85 games that year with the Dodgers.
They traded him that offseason in a much larger deal to the Miami Marlins, and Rojas really established himself in Miami.
Rojas spent eight seasons with the Marlins, tallying 707 hits and batting .265. He hit .290 in 2017 and .304 in 2020.
The Marlins eventually traded Rojas back to the Dodgers, in January 2023, for Jacob Amaya.
Rojas played the rest of his career with the Dodgers.
That includes the 2024 World Series title and the repeat in 2025.
And as many know, Rojas was the hero of the 2025 ring. He hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning of Game 7, a game the Dodgers eventually won in overtime. He also made an incredibly slick play while playing in at second base to snag a hard grounder and throw accurately home for a force out on what would’ve been the walk-off run for Toronto.
Rojas may have taken a long time to develop, and he never got a chance to wear a Reds uniform in the major leagues.
But it’s astounding to think that 21 years ago, he signed, and after plenty of struggles in the minor leagues, he broke through and tallied 1,048 MLB hits to go with his two World Series rings.
Reds Signing Retires 21 Years After Career Began