The Phillies’ Johan Rojas is reportedly available via trade. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images)
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For a micro-moment, the Philadelphia Phillies looked like they had their centerfielder of the future in Johan Rojas, whose defensive metrics rate towards the top in baseball.
But Rojas never could establish himself at the plate and got demoted to the minors last season. And soon, he faded from the Phillies’ plan.
Now, the 25-year-old is available via a trade, according to The Athletic’s Matt Gelb.
None of this should be a shock. Rojas spent the final two months of the 2025 season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley after hitting .237 with very little pop in 191 games that spanned a season and a half.
Rojas arrived in Philly in July 2023 and instantly made an impact with his glove, pulling off this dazzling double play in his big-league debut:
Soon thereafter, Rojas became the Phillies’ primary option in center after hitting .302 in his rookie year. He regressed over the next two seasons, failing to get on base enough to employ his biggest weapon — his blazing speed. And the Phils had no other choice but to demote him.
With the Phillies putting Rojas on the trade market, it pretty much guarantees that the team will pursue a centerfielder this offseason. They could target a reunion with free agent Harrison Bader on a multi-year contract or sign a bounce-back contender such as Cedric Mullins to a one-year deal, as Destiny Lugardo of Phillies Nation noted.
The return for Rojas would not yield much — maybe a low-level minor leaguer, but definitely not a pedigree prospect. However, he does make a solid secondary piece that could augment a bigger trade chip. And because of his defensive wizardry, he does have value, which grows exponentially if he learns to get on base more frequently to utilize his speed.
And FWIW: Rojas is currently showing an advanced approach playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic, where he’s hitting .375 with five stolen bases and two home runs.
If Rojas does get traded, Phillies fan will never forget when he did this in the 2023 NLDS: