Miguel Rojas retirement, why the Dodgers veteran leader is hanging it up after the 2026 season – NBC Los Angeles

In the afterglow of a wild Thursday afternoon at Dodger Stadium — the kind of October day where memories and legacies intertwine — Miguel Rojas stood inside the celebratory clubhouse, drenched in beer and champagne, with his hat backwards and goggles on his forehead, he beamed from ear to ear.

The Los Angeles Dodgers had just survived a grueling 11-inning fight, edging the Philadelphia Phillies 2–1 in Game 4 of the NLDS to clinch yet another trip to the National League Championship Series — their eighth in the last 13 years.

But while champagne sprayed and music blared in the clubhouse, Rojas delivered a quieter kind of headline — one that caught even his teammates by surprise.

“I’m 36 years old. It’s been a wild ride. I’ve given it everything I’ve had in my four years here,” Rojas told Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation. “Hopefully, I can finish my career here. Because I’m going to retire after next year.”

It was a moment that felt both fitting and bittersweet. Rojas, the veteran infielder whose career has spanned more than a decade of grit and adaptability, has never been one to chase the spotlight. But on this night — one defined by Tyler Glasnow’s first postseason start with the Boys in Blue, rookie phenom Roki Sasaki’s legendary relief outing and a walk-off error that sealed the Dodgers’ dramatic return to the NLCS — it was Rojas’ humility that resonated deepest.

The Venezuelan-born utility man has carved out a career built not on flash, but on substance.
He made his MLB debut with the Dodgers on June 6, 2014, and was a defensive specialist early in his career. He even started at third base and made a defensive web gem to secure Clayton Kershaw’s one and only no hitter less than two weeks later on June 18, 2014.

Rojas was traded to the Marlins after the season, and his steady, selfless presence made him a leader in Miami before he was traded back to Los Angeles in January of 2023. He won his first World Series title with the Dodgers one year later and is hoping to add another ring to his collection this season.

Since then, Rojas has embodied what it means to be a professional. Teammates describe him as a “glue guy” — the quiet voice in the dugout, the mentor who keeps the clubhouse grounded through the chaos of a 162-game season. A leader who young players turn to, and an ear for Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts to turn to.

Rojas, who becomes a free agent after the 2025 campaign, told NBC LA that he hopes to sign a one-year deal with the Dodgers for the 2026 season — his final lap around the diamond. For him, it’s not just about numbers or accolades. It’s about closure, about ending where his heart has found a home.

His timing, too, seemed poetic. He didn’t make a big formal announcement in a press conference, he didn’t issue a press release or a statement, just quietly snuck it into a postgame interview while he was celebrating with his teammates.

And in the midst of it all, Rojas’ announcement reminded everyone that the game, for all its numbers and narratives, is ultimately about people. About those who grind in the shadows, who make teams better in ways that never show up on the scoreboard.

As the Dodgers now prepare for their next challenge in their title defense— a rematch with destiny in the NLCS — Rojas’ words linger in the air like the last light of a long summer evening.

“I’ve given it everything I’ve had,” he said.

He has — and in a clubhouse filled with stars, it’s that simple honesty that might define Miguel Rojas’ legacy most of all.