It’s the third consecutive start for the 36-year-old infielder who filled in for Mookie Betts at shortstop during the two games against the Cubs in Tokyo. Tommy Edman, who manned second base for both games in Tokyo, is starting in center field for the Dodgers on Thursday evening.

Rojas had his rehab delayed a couple of weeks, but it shouldn’t be something that lingers long into the spring it appears. The 35-year-old is expected to be a utility infielder for the Dodgers in 2025, and could see most of his appearances as a defensive replacement.

This was likely an easy one, as Rojas was a .283 hitter with a .748 OPS over 103 games while playing quality defense up the middle. Even if Rojas is more of a utility player than someone who is in the lineup every single day — probably somewhere in-between — that makes his $5 million salary for 2025 a pittance.

Rojas missed the NLCS with a hernia injury. He’s set to have surgery this offseason, but will continue to play through the injury as he did in the NLDS. He’s essentially starting over Gavin Lux against the Yankees’ left-hander Carlos Rodon while Tommy Edman goes to centerfield and Enrique Hernandez plays second base. The Dodgers lineup: Shohei Ohtani DH, Mookie Betts RF, Teoscar Hernández LF, Freddie Freeman 1B, Tommy Edman CF, Enrique Hernández 2B, Max Muncy 3B, Will Smith C, Miguel Rojas SS and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound.