Johan Rojas Creating Tough Conversations After Recent Offensive Success
Apr 29, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas (23) runs towards home during the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Has Johan Rojas turned a corner with his hitting?
Nearly two years ago, after an injury to Cristian Pache, there was a glaring hole in the outfield after Kyle Schwarber moved to designated hitter full-time and Bryce Harper became the everyday first baseman. With an already offensive-heavy lineup, the Phillies needed an all-star speedster defender. Enter Johan Rojas.
Rojas was signed to the Phillies when he was just 17 years old after impressing scouts with his athleticism and speed in the outfield. Through the years, he worked his way through the Phillies’ minor league system and found his way to Reading in 2023. Rojas had an incredible start to that season with the Fightin Phils, batting .306 with 9 home runs, 45 RBI, and totaling 30 stolen bases.
He finally got his call to the show in July of that year, and while his offensive numbers were an obvious issue, he made up for it in other ways. From circus catches to diving robberies, Rojas has had his fair share of defensive highlights in center field these last two seasons.
But while these fantastic catches were great, his slight problem on offense grew larger and larger. His 2024 season was abysmal. In 120 games, he batted .243, hitting only three home runs and 32 RBI. He stole 25 bags as well, but on average, he was only stealing a bag once every five games.
And on top of that, his play seemed to get lazy, and while he made the occasional outstanding grab in center, his carelessness in the field would show, and he’d overrun or missplay flyballs. While his way of defense hasn’t changed too much this year compared to last year, one thing has changed. His offense is way up.
The Phillies signed Max Kepler in the offseason to be the likely everyday left fielder, with Rojas and Brandon Marsh splitting time in center field. However, Marsh struggled to open the year, leading to Rojas getting more playing time, and that turned into nearly an everyday starting role after Marsh went down with a knee injury on April 16.
Since Marsh went on the IL, Rojas has recorded 13 hits, seven RBI, and four multi-hit games. On the season, he’s batting .305, which leads the team, a .348 on-base percentage, and a .772 OPS. After Schwarber and Trea Turner, you could make the argument that Rojas has been the Phillies’ best hitter, and he’s doing this while mainly hitting in the nine-hole.
In every game recently, it’s felt like Rojas has found his swing and has been barreling up balls. He has hit for a bit of power as well, most recently hitting his first home run of the season in the opener of the most recent series against the Washington Nationals.
The Phillies have struggled in multiple games this year to get any offensive game going, as they’ve been shut out twice and have scored two or fewer runs in eight games this year. Rojas has given them an offensive boost that has been not only helpful but very needed during a struggling first month of the year.
But his recent hot streak at the plate brings another problem now. What do you do with Marsh? The left-handed hitter is currently rehabbing in Lehigh Valley and is set to return to the Phillies any day now. When he went down with his injury, he wasn’t exactly the most efficient player in the world, and if it wasn’t for the injury, he could’ve found his way back down to the minors for some mental rest.
So, if you’re Rob Thomson, do you go back to having Marsh play against right-handed pitchers and Rojas play against lefties, or do you continue to let Rojas play and see how he turns out? I think you have to continue to give Rojas at-bats and see if this streak continues.
While I think that’s the right move, I still believe that the eventual move of bringing up Justin Crawford to play center field every day is the long-term goal. Until then, it’s Rojas’ job to lose, with Marsh needing to improve his play when he returns if he wants to stay on this team moving forward.
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Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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