Miguel Rojas’s place in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ middle infield has moved from secure to precarious as chatter grows that the club could pursue Washington’s CJ Abrams before the trade deadline.
The urgency is simple: the Dodgers are 34-20 and leading the National League West, trying to become just the third franchise in Major League Baseball history to win three consecutive World Series titles, and their $300 million payroll suggests they will be buyers. Analysts pointed specifically to the middle infield as the area most likely to be upgraded, singling out Rojas’s offensive struggles—he had a.644 OPS in the source article—as part of the reason.
That assessment was laid out bluntly by Tim Kelly: "Even if future Hall of Famer Mookie Betts heats up at some point this year, the Dodgers still probably are a middle infielder short with an upgrade likely needed over any combination of Hyeseong Kim, Alex Freeland and Miguel Rojas." Kelly went on to sketch the kind of move that would terrify rivals: "The nightmare scenario for the rest of the league would be if Friedman is able to pry the aforementioned [CJ] Abrams away from the Nationals, either to play shortstop or second base."
Kelly’s comments and an Athlon Sports piece published May 26, 2026, followed reporting that placed Abrams squarely on trade radars during the offseason; Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors wrote that Abrams came up in trade conversations before the season. Abrams, a one-time All-Star who was originally a member of the San Diego Padres and was traded to Washington as part of the Juan Soto trade in 2022, has the mix of youth and control that draws suitors: he is 25 years old, has two more seasons of arbitration remaining and is not set to hit free agency until 2029.
On the field this season Abrams has produced numbers that make him attractive. In 54 games he logged 198 at-bats with 57 hits, 12 home runs, 45 RBIs and 34 runs scored, slashing.288/.379/.545 for a.924 OPS. He has also played 66 innings at second base with a.946 fielding percentage there, offering the flexibility Kelly highlighted — the ability to move between shortstop and second base would allow Los Angeles to rearrange its infield without creating a glaring defensive hole.
For Rojas, the calculus is painful because his value is not simply statistical. He was one of the Dodgers’ heroes in last year’s World Series run, a veteran presence whose defense and clubhouse steadiness mattered. But on the cold ledger of this season, the.644 OPS is a tangible number that weighs against keeping him as an everyday offensive option if a controllable upgrade like Abrams is truly available.
The tension for the Dodgers is twofold. On paper they can afford to add a premium middle infielder; in practice, the market for someone like Abrams is constrained by team control and cost — Abrams still has two arbitration years left — meaning the asking price could be substantial but not prohibitive for a club that has already built a $300 million payroll. Any deal would force roster math: who moves, who becomes a bench piece, and whether Los Angeles values retaining Rojas’s World Series postseason history more than upgrading for a likely October push.
What happens next is predictable and consequential. If the Dodgers decide to pursue Abrams, talks will intensify and names like Rojas and others already linked to the middle infield will inevitably surface in trade discussions. If ownership and the front office prioritize a third straight title the way recent seasons suggest, the team will lean toward an offensive upgrade that also offers defensive versatility.
That leaves Miguel Rojas in a familiar but fragile spot: beloved for postseason heroics, but vulnerable because the regular-season numbers that determine trades and playing time are not in his favor. The most likely outcome, based on roster needs and the Abrams profile, is that the Dodgers will at least explore a move that could displace Rojas from everyday duty — a decision that will reveal whether L.A. values last fall’s heroics more than the margin it believes it needs to reach another World Series.
