Miguel Rojas has no intention to extend his career beyond 2026. He planned to end his MLB career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, securing a three-peat record. However, his exit in the 7th inning against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday sparked a health concern around the 37-year-old. Fans hold their breath about whether the Dodgers just added another name to their IL. But Rojas’s health update after the game should offer a sigh of relief to them.

“Miguel Rojas said he’s been dealing with something at the bottom of his right shin for the last couple of days. Tweaked it while hopping out of the way on an inside pitch last night, and didn’t want to be out there at less than 100% given the perfect game bid. Said he’s available today,” MLB insider Jack Harris shared via X.

It was the day for Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He was throwing fireballs from the mound, which was just four outs away from a perfect game. However, Mookie Betts’s error in the eighth shut down the record. According to Rojas, he could have continued with the game, but he was not feeling 100% fit and thus, didn’t want to make an error in a probable perfect game. Unfortunately, the error still happened.

Rojas confirmed his availability on Sunday, but the Dodgers chose to bench him. He has reportedly been dealing with a shin issue over the past few days. He first noticed it during the series against the Pirates, when a runner slid into his shin. On Saturday, he felt discomfort and chose to leave the game, but it’s still nothing major and was just a precautionary measure.

Harris initially reported that “Miguel Rojas got checked out by a trainer during an at-bat here in the seventh, and is now out of the game after drawing a walk. Santiago Espinal is pinch-running and will take over at second base.” That left the Dodgers fans in panic. When the team is on a winning streak and steadily approaching a three-peat record, an injury scare to their 2025 World Series hero would be the worst.

In the 2025 World Series, Rojas cemented his legacy by hitting a game-tying solo home run in the top of the 9th inning of a dramatic Game 7 against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Dodgers went on to win the championship 5-4 in 11 innings.

Hopefully, the Dodgers would get back Rojas in the next game, and his retirement plan and the Dodgers’ three-peat journey are both on schedule. Saturday also proved that the Dodgers’ pitching staff is firing up just at the right time.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto proved to be a one-man army for the Dodgers

The last perfect game in MLB was recorded in 2023 when the New York Yankees right-hander Domingo Germán achieved the rare feat against the Oakland Athletics, retiring all 27 batters. Yamamoto was about to touch the record; if not, Betts committed an error in the eighth. On Saturday, Yamamoto sailed into the ninth inning with a no-hit bid.

“One of the best outings we’ve seen from an opponent this year,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “The stuff was outstanding. Lived on the edges. We didn’t have a ton to hit.”

However, the perfect game bid was lost after Betts missed Chase Meidroth’s grounder for an error with two out in the eighth. The Dodgers’ starter recovered by retiring Jacob Gonzalez on a groundout, but the perfect bid was lost by then. Still, Yamamoto got into the record book, tying with the White Sox legend Mark Buehrle, by retiring 45 consecutive batters.

Saturday witnessed the Dodgers at their best. Yamamoto dominated at the mound, Shohei Ohtani and Max Muncy homered, and Kyle Tucker drove in runs. The only concern was Rojas, who should be back in the lineup by the next game.