Johan

Rojas

Rojas tested positive for Boldenone, a performance-enhancing substance, earlier this month while getting ready to play for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. The 25-year-old outfielder will be ineligible for the postseason once he returns, which won’t be until June 25, at the earliest. His path to playing time with the Phillies will be in a reserve role moving forward with prospect Justin Crawford taking over as the club’s starting center fielder.

Rojas has been removed from the Dominican Republic’s World Baseball Classic roster and is facing a lengthy suspension from Major League Baseball, which he plans to appeal. There hasn’t been a formal announcement from either the league or the Phillies yet. The 25-year-old defensive specialist has been clearly surpassed by top prospect Justin Crawford on Philadelphia’s depth chart and was likely to open the season in a bench role or in the minors altogether.

He’ll be flanked by Brandon Marsh and Marsh’s platoon partner (probably Otto Kemp or Weston Wilson) in left and Adolis García in right. The Phillies could also carry Johan Rojas as a center field alternative against lefties and potential late-game defensive replacement, but the hope is that Crawford will seize the moment and turn into an everyday guy. The soon-to-be 22-year-old hit .334/.411/.452 with 46 steals in Triple-A last season, but his groundball tendencies on offense and his occasional poor routes in center make him something of a question mark.

Rojas might have been the Phillies’ 26th man had he been healthy, though his defense is less of a priority now with Harrison Bader in center and Nick Castellanos mostly sitting anyway. Rojas hit .224/.280/.289 in 172 plate appearances this season before the Bader acquisition got him sent down. He came in at .279/.338/.361 in 34 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

As expected, Rojas is the name that gets demoted after the Phillies picked up Harrison Bader. The 24-year-old could be back with Philadelphia before the end of 2025, but it’ll almost certainly be in a reserve role.

Because Bader can play center field against lefties, it makes sense to get Rojas some regular playing time in Triple-A for now. One of the game’s top defensive center fielders, he’ll still likely be part of the Phillies’ plans for October. However, he’s hit a disappointing .224/.280/.289 in 172 plate appearances this season.

Brandon Marsh will take over in left field on Wednesday night with Johan Rojas in center field. No word yet on the severity of the issue, which will determine how much time Kepler misses. The fact that the team is calling it a strain already suggests that he could wind up landing on the injured list.

It’s unusual to see Marsh sitting against an opposing right-hander, but perhaps it’s just the Phillies’ way of easing him back into full-time action following his return from the injured list. Johan Rojas will start in his place in center field and bat ninth against Luis L. Ortiz on Sunday evening.

It’s not a bad idea for Marsh to spend some extra time away from the diamond right now since he’s been ice-cold at the dish this season, hitting .095 (4-for-42) with one homer and five RBI in 17 games. It’ll be Johan Rojas taking over as Philadelphia’s primary center field in his absence.

Marsh reportedly tweaked his knee while chasing a ball out in center field, and he’ll meet with team doctors. Knee issues have been a problem for the 27-year-old in the past, so there’s a bit of added reason for concern. His status should be updated before Friday’s contest, but for now, Johan Rojas will handle center for the Phillies in Marsh’s absence.