The Los Angeles Dodgers took a 2-1 lead in the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves courtesy of a 3-1 win in Game 3 powered by long balls from Kike Hernandez and Freddie Freeman. But they did not escape Tuesday night unscathed. In the top of the eighth inning, second baseman Miguel Rojas had to come out in the middle of an at-bat due to an injury.

With one man on and nobody out in the inning, Rojas swung violently and whiffed at a sinker above the zone on a 1-0 count. The Dodgers infielder then appeared to tweak his back in the aftermath of that wild swing, and the training staff immediately had to come to his aid. Manager Dave Roberts ended up having to sub him out, with Tommy Edman coming on as a pinch-hitter. Edman would pop out on the first pitch he faced.

Miguel Rojas exits the game after he appears to have injured his back on a swing pic.twitter.com/Rmc25l0OkW

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 7, 2026

While this is a slight concern for the Dodgers, Rojas is hopeful that his early exit was merely precautionary and that he can be ready for tomorrow's closeout game against the Braves.

“I knew batting in the eighth right there, it was going to be against a lefty. I felt like I was the right guy to take that at-bat. I went to the play without telling anything to the coaches. Unfortunately, when I took the swing, kinda tweaked it a little more. I'm looking forward to be ready to go tomorrow when they need me and obviously try to end this one,” Rojas told reporters after the game, via SportsNet LA on X.

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Rojas, the Dodgers' hero in the 2025 World Series, went 0-3 from the plate on Tuesday with one strikeout. In 2026, Rojas put up an OPS of .806 against left-handed pitching, so he was indeed the logical candidate to face Chris Sale and Brent Suter. However, doing so may have put his status for Game 4 at risk, as LA may not be willing to risk his health.