Josh Rojas's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Seattle Mariners outfielder/first baseman/designated hitter Luke Raley and infielder Josh Rojas are both starting the game on the bench for Wednesday's series finale at Minute Maid Park against the division-rival Houston Astros with a left-hander on the mound. Justin Turner is making the start at first base and is batting fifth, while Dylan Moore will man the hot corner and bat out of the nine-hole against Astros left-hander Yusei Kikuchi. Turner has an RBI and is hitting .273 in 11 career at-bats against Kikuchi, while Moore has gone hitless against the southpaw in five career at-bats. Raley has reached the 20-homer mark for the first time in his career in 2024, but he's also hitting just .192 (14-for-73) with just two of his 21 long balls against lefties. Rojas has been even worse against lefties, going 8-for-58 (.138) with none of his eight home runs on the year.

Seattle Mariners second baseman Josh Rojas went 2-for-5 with a stolen base in Friday's 8-1 win over the Athletics. It was the 29-year-old's fifth multi-hit game in his last seven, going 13-for-30 (.433) during that stretch, including a double, a triple, and two stolen bases. The left-handed hitter is now slashing .351/.417/.526 on the season with a .413 wOBA and 175 wRC+. He may not hit for power but with the way he's hitting, walking (10.0%), and picking up a few stolen bases along the way, there should be plenty of run-scoring opportunities hitting leadoff. That is of course dependent on the rest of the Mariners lineup picking up the pace at the plate, as they lead the entire league in strikeouts as a team and they have the seventh-worst team batting average. Rojas could be a decent waiver add as he's eligible at both 2B and 3B for owners holding onto the likes of Gleyber Torres and Ke'Bryan Hayes.

Seattle Mariners infielders Josh Rojas and Dylan Moore, who had been projected to split time at second base in 2024, will now likely shift their platoon to third base following a trade that sent Jorge Polanco to Seattle. More than two-thirds of Polanco's appearances last season came at second base, so he'll get first dibs on the keystone with the Mariners. That moves Rojas and Moore to the hot corner and presumably demotes Luis Urias, who was originally penciled into third base after being traded by the Red Sox. All in all, the Mariners would be wise to find playing time for Rojas and Moore, both of whom are above-average defenders.