June 25: The Phils announced today that Rojas has been returned to the restricted list and placed on the 60-day IL.
June 21st: Rojas had surgery Friday, according to Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
June 10: The Phillies announced that outfielder Johan Rojas he recently suffered elbow pain while jogging back from his ongoing suspension. Imaging revealed a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament, which would require surgical repair involving an internal brace. He is expected to be ready for training in the spring of 2027. He is currently on the blacklist.
2026 was already shaping up to be a bad season for Rojas. Back in March, he received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance Boldenone. That would have wiped out the first half of his regular season and, like all players suspended for PEDs, made him ineligible for the postseason.
After receiving that suspension, his best-case scenario would have been to have a solid second half, but now that’s off the table and he’ll miss the entire 2026 campaign. He is currently on the restricted list. Once his suspension is up, the Phillies can place him on the 60-day disabled list, or possibly remove him from the roster by designating him for assignment or release.
Rojas had a solid debut with the Phils in 2023. He was already known to have speed and defensive skills, but then put up a .302/.342/.430 line in his first 164 plate appearances. That wasn’t entirely sustainable, as he had a .410 batting average on balls in play, but it was a welcome improvement for the Phillies nonetheless. Because of that offense, his 14 steals and his solid glove work, he was rated by FanGraphs with a 1.4 wins above replacement in just 59 games.
His production took off from there. He could still swipe some bags and run the ball down the grass but hit just .237/.279/.312 in the 2024 and 2025 seasons. That seems to have caused the Phils to continue with the idea of Rojas becoming an everyday player. They benefited Harrison Bader with a 2025 deadline. He became a free agent after the season but they actually offered him a field job through 2026 Justin Crawford in the latest season.
With Crawford, Adolis García again Brandon Marsh scheduled to become a regular outfielder in 2026, Rojas was slated to either be the fourth baseman or be sent to the minors. Between the suspension and this surgery, he will instead be completely free for a year. If he hangs on to his roster spot this winter and gets healthy, he might consider those types of deeper roles again next year. Garcia is an upcoming free agent but the Phils will look to address that position before the 2027 season begins.
Meanwhile, the Phils had it Edmund Sosa again Manager Berroa as outfielders off the bench, supporting the trio of Marsh, Crawford and Garcia. Marsh is the only one of the three to have a good season, so they may be looking to shake things up at the deadline.
Photo courtesy of Kelley L Cox, Imagn Images
