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Dodgers’ Miguel Rojas playing through grief after father’s sudden death

April 8, 2026

TORONTO — Miguel Rojas talked to his father Tuesday afternoon. Back in Venezuela, Miguel Rojas Sr. was looking forward to watching his son play for the Dodgers against the Toronto Blue Jays on TV later that night.

A few hours later, the Dodgers’ infielder was in the midst of his pregame preparations at Rogers Centre when he got another message from Venezuela. His father had suffered a heart attack and was being rushed to the hospital.

“I got a call literally 40 minutes before the game to let me know that my dad was rushing to a hospital. I didn’t know what was going on,” Rojas said Wednesday, preparing to play again while his father’s funeral was going on in Venezuela. “I was trying to get my thoughts in the right spot. But there’s nothing I could do being this far. Just support my family.

“I found out that my dad, on the way to the hospital, passed away. He couldn’t live through the heart attack that he had. So it was suddenly that he passed away. He was feeling good. (It’s) really hard to understand. I’m still trying to process the whole thing.”

Rojas’ first instinct was to play in Tuesday’s game. But he said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and teammate Freddie Freeman convinced him to head back to the team hotel and take the night to try to process his grief. Unable to travel to Venezuela for the funeral Wednesday, though, he was back in the lineup and played against the Blue Jays.

In a show of support, Rojas’ teammates wrote the initials ‘MR’ on the side of their caps.

“I decided to stay and do what my father would like me to do, which is play baseball,” Rojas said. “He got a first-row seat to watch me play here in this special place that brought so many memories to my family.”

That was a reference to his game-tying home run in last year’s World Series Game 7 at Rogers Centre. Miguel Rojas Sr. never got to see his son play in person in the major leagues. Following the Dodgers’ World Series victory in 2024, however, Miguel Jr. was able to bring the World Series trophy with him to winter ball in Venezuela. It was a photo of his father holding that trophy that Rojas posted on Instagram on Wednesday, letting his fans know of his father’s death.

“That was pretty special. I had the opportunity to make them feel really proud. Not just my dad, my whole family,” Rojas said. “I know how proud he was being my father, not just for what I did on the field but what I’ve been doing off the field as well. Every time he read news about me being good in the community and being good around the guys – that’s what he was. He was a guy that was always there for people.”

Travel complications prevented Rojas from attending his father’s funeral Wednesday and he is not sure what he will do next.

“The funeral is happening today because that’s how they do things in Venezuela,” Rojas said. “It happens quick because they have to. They don’t have many places to hold these funerals. So I don’t know. As of now, my head is on playing (Wednesday’s game) and go back with the team to the United States. Then after that, with the off day (Thursday), I might go, I might not. That hasn’t been decided yet.

“But the most important part for me today was showing up today and play, and then after that, I’ll be a family man on the off day and see what’s the best way to do things after that.”

ANOTHER LOSS

The Dodgers’ community suffered another loss Wednesday when former player and coach Davey Lopes died at age 80.

Lopes spent 10 seasons playing second base for the Dodgers (1972-81), most of that time as a member of ‘The Infield’ with Steve Garvey, Ron Cey and Bill Russell. Lopes was a four-time All-Star and played in four World Series, winning in 1981.

Lopes still leads the franchise in games played at second base (1,134) and his 1,145 games starting at leadoff are second on the franchise list behind Maury Wills (1,279). He is also second to Wills (490) on the list of the franchise’s all-time stolen base leaders with 418.

Lopes holds the Dodgers franchise record with an 83.1% career success rate with a minimum 100 steals. In 1975, he set an MLB record with 28 consecutive steals without being caught.

Lopes finished his 16-year career with the Oakland A’s, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros, retiring with 557 stolen bases, good for 26th on baseball’s all-time list. He led the majors with 77 steals in 1975 and led the National League with 63 swipes in 1976.

After he retired as a player, Lopes managed the Milwaukee Brewers (2000-02) and worked as a coach in five organizations, including with the Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies during their championship season in 2008.

UP NEXT

The Dodgers are off Thursday.

Rangers (RHP Kumar Rocker, 0-1, 3.60 ERA) at Dodgers (RHP Tyler Glasnow, 1-0, 3.00 ERA), 7:10 p.m. Friday, SportsNet LA, 570 AM

Orange County Register

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Dodgers’ Miguel Rojas playing through grief after father’s sudden death

ANOTHER LOSS

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