Phillies' Johan Rojas Making Waves in the Dominican Winter League

The young Philadelphia outfielder is once again showing flashes of the player he can become

May 12, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas (23) looks on before the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Former Philadelphia Phillies' top prospect Johan Rojas continues to fight for a spot on the MLB roster in 2026 and is putting together an impressive start to his offseason.

The 23-year-old outfielder has been training once again in the Dominican Republic after the season's conclusion and is playing in the Dominican Winter League. 2025 marks the third straight year that Rojas has participated in the DWL, and his second consecutive season with the Gigantes del Cibao (Cibao Giants).

A 50-game regular season followed by two rounds of playoffs, the league spans from October through the end of January. Rojas appeared in 30 contests in the 2024 campaign and has already played in 11 so far this year.

Rojas Showing Out in the DWL

When Rojas came up as one of the organization's highest-ranked prospects, he was touted as a glove-first center fielder who could develop into a true star if his hitting skills could develop. At the MLB level, he has struggled to do that, with just a .633 OPS with an OBP under .300.

Still just in his early 20s, the book on him might not be finished, and he's looking to put together a strong next few months to build momentum going into 2026.

Through just 11 games, he has had more than his fair share of electrifying moments, both offensively and defensively. Cumulatively, Rojas is hitting a whopping .406 with a 1.150 OPS, slugging two home runs, one double, and striking out just six times to eight total walks.

He tallied his first hit in his season debut on October 27th off of former MLB reliever Phillips Valdez, and only took off from there. Two nights later, he took a hanging breaking ball over the left field fence for his first long ball of the campaign, and made a fantastic diving snag in center field the following game.

Johan Rojas throws out Phillies teammate Bryan De La Cruz at Home Plate in the Dominican Winter League!pic.twitter.com/DTbXQUQow0

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) November 7, 2025

His hot streak continued into early November, when he gunned down recently acquired Phillies' minor leaguer Bryan De La Cruz at the plate on an attempted sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 13th inning. He got the best of another former MLB pitcher on November 8th, ripping a line drive over the wall against righthander Triston McKenzie in the 3rd inning of the Gigantes' matchup against the Aguilas Cibaenas.

JOHAN ROJAS HOME RUN 🚨
pic.twitter.com/kLoycB6OAT

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) November 8, 2025

Rojas is far from guaranteed to be on the MLB roster in 2026, especially considering he spent most of the 2025 campaign with the AAA Lehigh Iron Pigs. He will have to continue dominating in the DWL to push for more opportunities next season, but it has been a phenomenal start for the once-coveted prospect.