{"id":16183,"date":"2026-06-18T23:02:38","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T23:02:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16183"},"modified":"2026-06-18T23:02:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T23:02:38","slug":"dodgers-use-versatility-to-build-the-best-bench-possible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16183","title":{"rendered":"Dodgers use versatility to build the best bench possible"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

LOS ANGELES \u2014 Miguel Rojas knows a little something about making a late charge when the odds look slim and time is running dangerously low.<\/p>\n

Read more OC girls basketball teams playing with new transfers this weekend<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u2019s World Series, has a new quest for what he has called his final season in the major leagues.<\/p>\n

Consider Rojas the captain of the Dodgers\u2019 bench because of his veteran status. And that captain is forming a plan of attack.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d Rojas said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just feel like with the experience that we have in this clubhouse, it\u2019s enough just to look around to see the players that you\u2019re playing with,\u201d Rojas said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot easier to kind of understand your role and the situations that you\u2019re going to be playing at.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThe organization is really cool on telling players what their expectations are, and if you know what they\u2019re expecting from you, you can be prepared for that situation,\u201d Rojas said. \u201cIt\u2019s a little bit easier to kind of like press on and just continue to come to the ballpark knowing that you\u2019re playing against the lefties, you\u2019re coming off the bench when they put a lefty in the game. You\u2019re getting these guys off the field sometimes when we\u2019re winning by a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Be prepared for anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I have to pitch, I pitch,\u201d Rojas said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

In fact, Rojas\u2019 go-ahead home run in the seventh inning of Monday\u2019s victory was merely the first of the season for the Dodgers.<\/p>\n

Heading into Thursday\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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).<\/p>\n

Read more All-CIF Southern Section baseball teams 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

None of those teams are pushing toward a playoff spot, suggesting that busy bench mobs reveal deficiencies elsewhere.<\/p>\n

What Rojas seems to be suggesting then is a mindset. A killer instinct.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, as a pinch hitter, you have to be a little bit more aggressive,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts: \u201cHe\u2019s really embraced this role, one of our team leaders, and it\u2019s good to keep him active and part of things. It\u2019s good for his spirits and also helps us win baseball games.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the Dodgers get healthier, their first-half run of injuries might prove beneficial. That, of course, assumes that players like Edman, Kik\u00e9 Hernandez, Will Smith and Teoscar Hernandez stay healthy to\u00a0give the club the roster it envisioned.<\/p>\n

Smith (neck) and Teoscar Hernandez (hamstring) should be back soon. Kik\u00e9 Hernandez is participating in running drills as he waits for his oblique injury to subside.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo much depth, so many guys that would be big-league contributors just about anywhere in the league,\u201d said Edman, who got a firsthand look at that depth when he played 14 games with Oklahoma City on his recent rehab assignment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really cool to see Freeland and Kim and Ward get a chance to come in and have a lot of success,\u201d Edman said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of other good players in OKC as well. It\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got to have guys like Tommy and Kik\u00e9 and and Miggy to buy into their whatever roles that we have for them, and they\u2019ve done that really positively,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n

UP NEXT<\/h4>\n

Orioles (TBD) at Dodgers (RHP Roki Sasaki, 3-4, 4.76 ERA), Friday, 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM, 1020 AM<\/p>\n

Read more US student loan defaults rise to 9.2 million amid crackdown<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe 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,\u201d reserve infielder Miguel Rojas says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16182,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nDodgers use versatility to build the best bench possible - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16183\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dodgers use versatility to build the best bench possible - 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