Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Thursday that Rojas will have to earn the everyday center field job next spring, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
Analysis: Rojas slashed .302/.342/.430 over his first 164 major-league plate appearances during the 2023 regular season and became the Phillies' primary center fielder down the stretch, but the 23-year-old then went 4-for-43 (.093) in the playoffs as Philadelphia ultimately fell to the Arizona in the NLCS. Rojas jumped directly from Double-A to the majors in July and could perhaps spend some time at the Triple-A level to begin the 2024 campaign.
Johan Rojas On bench for first game
Rojas will be on the bench for the afternoon portion of Saturday's twin bill against the Mets.
Analysis: Rojas finds himself on the bench for the second game in a row, though he's likely to return to the lineup for the nightcap. He's made a good impression in his first major-league season, hitting .298/.340/.418 with 14 steals in 156 plate appearances while playing strong defense in center field. He managed just two homers, and his miniscule 0.9 percent barrel rate suggests we shouldn't expect many more next season, but his glove should earn him plenty of chances to play even if he can't repeat his numbers at the plate. For now, it will be Brandon Marsh who starts in center field.
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