Joshua Luke Rojas (born June 30, 1994) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

utility player In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, basketball, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water ...

for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

and

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

Amateur career

Rojas attended Millennium High School in Goodyear, Arizona and played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

first at

Paradise Valley Community College Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC) is a public community college in Phoenix, Arizona. A branch campus, PVCC at Black Mountain, opened in 1985, with classes temporarily held at Paradise Valley High School. Once construction was completed ...

before transferring to the

University of Hawaii A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

for his final two years of college. In 2015, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Cotuit Kettleers The Cotuit Kettleers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in the village of Cotuit, Massachusetts, which is in the southwest corner of the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, Barnstable. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

. In 2017, his senior year at Hawaii, he hit .294 with five home runs and 25 RBIs in 50 games.

Professional career

Houston Astros

Rojas was drafted by the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

in the 26th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft. He received a $1,000 signing bonus. Rojas made his professional debut in 2017 with the Quad Cities River Bandits and also played in four games for the

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in ...

. In 56 professional games in 2017, he hit .261 with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs. He began 2018 with the Buies Creek Astros and, after one month, was promoted to the

Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team is owned b ...

, where he earned

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

All-Star honors. In 130 total games between both teams, he slashed .263/.351/.408 with eight home runs, 55 RBIs, and 38 stolen bases. He started 2019 back in Corpus Christi before being promoted to the

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home ...

at the end of May.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On July 31, 2019, the Astros traded Rojas and fellow prospects

Corbin Martin Corbin Montgomery Martin (born December 28, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros and Arizona Diamondbacks. Career ...

, Seth Beer, and J. B. Bukauskas to the

in exchange for starter

Zack Greinke Donald Zackary Greinke ( ; born October 21, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. Greinke last played for the Kansas City Royals, with whom he played across two stints, from his 2004 debut to 2010, and from 202 ...

and cash considerations. On August 12, 2019, the Diamondbacks selected Rojas' contract and promoted him to the major leagues. He made his major league debut that night against the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

, hitting two singles and tallying his first major league run and RBI. He played primarily in the outfield in his first season, putting up a .217 average with 2 home runs in 41 games. In 2020, Rojas slashed .180/.257/.180 in 17 games before ending the season on the injured list with a lower back injury. Rojas improved in 2021, slashing .264/.341/.411 across 139 games while serving in a utility role for the Diamondbacks. He was Arizona's leadoff hitter in 71 games, a career high. In 2022, he played primarily third base with some action at second base and repeated his offensive production, batting .269/.349/.391 in 125 games. In the first four months of 2023, his offense dipped with the Diamondbacks, with a .228 average and no home runs in 59 games.

Seattle Mariners

On July 31, 2023, the Diamondbacks traded Rojas, Dominic Canzone, and Ryan Bliss to the

for closer Paul Sewald. Rojas played second base for the Mariners for the rest of the season, batting .272 with 4 home runs in 46 games to close out 2023. Rojas went back across the diamond to third base in 2024, as former teammate Eugenio Suárez was dealt to his former club, the Diamondbacks. Rojas was hot the first month of the season, batting .318 with 5 home runs at the end of April. He fared worse thereafter, batting .205 with only 5 more home runs. For the season, he hit .225/.304/.337. The Mariners mostly shielded him from left-handed pitchers, as he hit .125 in just 60 at bats without the platoon advantage. On November 22, Rojas was non-tendered by the Mariners, making him a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

for the first time in his career.

Chicago White Sox

On January 8, 2025, Rojas signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the

Personal life

Rojas and Alexandra Rojas were married on July 11, 2023. The couple's first child, Charlotte Rojas, was born on January 5, 2024.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rojas, Joshua 1994 births Living people Arizona Complex League Diamondbacks players Arizona Diamondbacks players Buies Creek Astros players Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Corpus Christi Hooks players Cotuit Kettleers players Fresno Grizzlies players Hawaii Rainbow Warriors baseball players Major League Baseball infielders Major League Baseball outfielders Quad Cities River Bandits players Reno Aces players Round Rock Express players Seattle Mariners players Baseball players from Glendale, Arizona