Even though Major League Baseball is in offseason mode, with the annual Winter Meetings likely to finally kickstart the free agent and trade markets in a few weeks, baseball is still being played elsewhere. Winter ball leagues are up and running in places like the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, with MLB prospects and players taking part to get extra reps and hone their skills before the 2025 MLB season.
One notable Philadelphia Phillies player who decided to suit up for winter ball in his home country is Dominican native Johan Rojas. The Phillies center fielder, who struggled through a tough 2024 campaign joined the Gigantes del Cibao team in the Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana (LIDOM) for extra game action this winter.
Phillies’ Johan Rojas leaves Dominican winter league game with apparent injury
Unfortunately for Rojas, he only made it into one game before leaving with an apparent injury. As shared by Phillies Tailgate on X, in the fifth inning of Saturday's game against the Toros del Este, the 24-year-old speedster bounced into a double play and barely made it to first base before slowly walking off the field. He didn't come out for the sixth inning.
In his one LIDOM game, Rojas went 0-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored before being forced from the action.
It appears Johan Rojas injured himself running to first base on this ground ball. He did not come out for the 6th inning. pic.twitter.com/gpaPvIgXVL
— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) November 16, 2024
It's not obvious what happened to Rojas from the short clip, but it looks like he may have had trouble getting out of the box, which could easily have been where an injury occurred. The best-case scenario would be if he just dogged it down the line uninjured and was benched for the rest of the game for a lack of hustle.
If there is an injury, the good news is that he has all winter to heal to be ready for spring training in mid-February. The bad news is that it might set him back in the program that the Phillies have planned for him this offseason. He was supposed to be spending time working at the team's complex in Clearwater, as president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski alluded to during his end-of-season press conference.
"We like Rojas, but we need offensive improvement there from him," Dombrowski said in October. "We have a plan this winter time. He’s going to live in Clearwater. We have a plan for him from an offensive perspective … but I can’t say for sure he’s going to be our center fielder."
It's obvious Rojas' job isn't secure, and he'll need to be at full strength to compete for a spot in the Phillies' outfield next season after disappointing play in 2024.
In 120 games for the Phillies this past year, Rojas hit .243 with a .601 OPS, three home runs, 32 RBI and 25 stolen bases. After struggling to get going at the plate in the majors, he spent time in Triple-A, slashing a beefy .382/.417/.500 for the IronPigs before being recalled and showing some improvement in the second half.
His development hasn't gone as the Phillies had likely hoped. Even though he played most of 2024 as a 23-year-old, the Phillies can't afford to wait too much longer with a finite competitive window with the current core of veteran star players. With the outfield a glaring weak spot on the roster, there will be changes coming this winter.