4 Dodgers players who need to step up before it's too late

Miguel Rojas

This offseason trade might've been ... really bad, despite our previous beliefs. When the Dodgers swapped top prospect Jacob Amaya for veteran Miguel Rojas in a deal with the Miami Marlins, it signaled the fact they didn't really believe in Amaya and that Rojas' versatility and clubhouse presence was more important (as evidenced by the extension he was given shortly after the deal).

Amaya has already gotten the call to MLB with Miami while Rojas is hitting .227 with a .535 OPS and 45 OPS+ while dealing with nagging injuries this season. His defense has been good, but his offensive contributions have subtracted 0.3 wins from the Dodgers.

Rojas' role was expanded unexpectedly when Gavin Lux went down for the season with a torn ACL and it's made the Dodgers' offseason decision look a lot worse. Even if Lux was healthy, LA had seen Rojas' bat declining for two seasons before making the trade.

This has now forced Mookie Betts to log infield reps, which, while it's been amazing to watch, probably isn't the best thing for the Dodgers. You don't really want your $365 million player jumping around the diamond to fill in where others are underperforming.

Would the Dodgers go as far as DFAing Rojas? Maybe not, but they can't afford to have a constant black hole in the lineup with how problematic their pitching staff has been as a whole.