LOS ANGELES — Miguel Rojas knows a little something about making a late charge when the odds look slim and time is running dangerously low.
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The fan favorite, who hit what will go down as one of the most memorable and improbable home runs in Dodgers history during Game 7 of last fall’s World Series, has a new quest for what he has called his final season in the major leagues.
Consider Rojas the captain of the Dodgers’ bench because of his veteran status. And that captain is forming a plan of attack.
Shortly after Rojas reprised his Game 7 heroics earlier this week, with a decisive late-inning pinch-hit home run for a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, he set a goal for the remainder of the season.
“The mentality for us bench players is to be the best that we can be and be the best players off the bench in the league,” Rojas said.
It was at once a nod of acceptance to his reserve role and a call to his teammates in the same situation to embrace their own little portion of the roster. All pieces complete the whole.
“I just feel like with the experience that we have in this clubhouse, it’s enough just to look around to see the players that you’re playing with,” Rojas said. “It’s a lot easier to kind of understand your role and the situations that you’re going to be playing at.”
In other words, when players like Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and Mookie Betts are in the infield, playing time for others is limited. Tommy Edman is now back after offseason ankle surgery, with less time for others expected at second base.
“The organization is really cool on telling players what their expectations are, and if you know what they’re expecting from you, you can be prepared for that situation,” Rojas said. “It’s a little bit easier to kind of like press on and just continue to come to the ballpark knowing that you’re playing against the lefties, you’re coming off the bench when they put a lefty in the game. You’re getting these guys off the field sometimes when we’re winning by a lot.”
Be prepared for anything.
“If I have to pitch, I pitch,” Rojas said.
What defines the best bench in the league? The Dodgers have leaned into defensive versatility during their recent run of success. The advent of the designated hitter in the National League has lessened the need for a power hitter off the bench when one swing can alter a game.
In fact, Rojas’ go-ahead home run in the seventh inning of Monday’s victory was merely the first of the season for the Dodgers.
Heading into Thursday’s games, the Dodgers were just 21st in the major leagues with a .273 slugging percentage from their pinch hitters. Their 55 pinch-hit at-bats were 16th in baseball. Climbing to the top of those lists will be a tall order over the second half.
Nobody leans into pinch hitters more than the Detroit Tigers (95 at-bats), whose four home runs from the role were tied for the MLB lead. The Cincinnati Reds had the top pinch-hit slugging percentage (.470), while the Minnesota Twins led in on-base percentage (.410).
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None of those teams are pushing toward a playoff spot, suggesting that busy bench mobs reveal deficiencies elsewhere.
What Rojas seems to be suggesting then is a mindset. A killer instinct.
“At the end of the day, as a pinch hitter, you have to be a little bit more aggressive,” he said.
Said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts: “He’s really embraced this role, one of our team leaders, and it’s good to keep him active and part of things. It’s good for his spirits and also helps us win baseball games.”
As the Dodgers get healthier, their first-half run of injuries might prove beneficial. That, of course, assumes that players like Edman, Kiké Hernandez, Will Smith and Teoscar Hernandez stay healthy to give the club the roster it envisioned.
Smith (neck) and Teoscar Hernandez (hamstring) should be back soon. Kiké Hernandez is participating in running drills as he waits for his oblique injury to subside.
The early absences of proven players have allowed extra playing time for Alex Freeland, Hyeseong Kim, Ryan Ward and Dalton Rushing. Alex Call has seven starts in left field this month. He had 12 starts over the first two months.
At Triple-A Oklahoma City is the recently signed Alek Thomas, the former Arizona Diamondbacks prospect who can be bench player gold with the ability to play high-level outfield defense combined with speed and occasional power.
“So much depth, so many guys that would be big-league contributors just about anywhere in the league,” said Edman, who got a firsthand look at that depth when he played 14 games with Oklahoma City on his recent rehab assignment.
“It’s really cool to see Freeland and Kim and Ward get a chance to come in and have a lot of success,” Edman said. “There’s a lot of other good players in OKC as well. It’s just cool that throughout the organization, we have a lot of really good baseball players. I feel really excited and blessed that I get to be a part of it.”
Edman is a starter, but his ability to play second base and center field at a high level, along with his willingness to move over to third base and left field, gives him the added benefit of somebody who can give various starters a day off when needed.
“You got to have guys like Tommy and Kiké and and Miggy to buy into their whatever roles that we have for them, and they’ve done that really positively,” Roberts said.
UP NEXT
Orioles (TBD) at Dodgers (RHP Roki Sasaki, 3-4, 4.76 ERA), Friday, 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM, 1020 AM
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