"Something to make them feel welcome” - Miguel Rojas shares insight for Shohei Ohtani & Yoshinobu Yamamoto's gifts on Freddie Freeman's suggestion

Los Angeles Dodgers veteran star Miguel Rojas welcomed his new Japanese teammates with bottles of wine on Sunday, with advice he had taken from slugger Freddie Freeman. Both Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto found a bottle of wine in their lockers after Sunday's workout, as a welcome present from their veteran teammate. Rojas is having his second stint at the club, playing at shortstop for the majority of last season and establishing himself as a leader in the clubhouse.

Miguel Rojas was originally signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent in 2006 and spent seven years in the minors with them. He then signed for the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 2012 season and made his major league debut with them in 2014, playing at shortstop on several occasions. After spending the next eight years with the Miami Marlins, the Venezuelan returned to the Dodgers for his second spell in 2023.

Rojas is an MLB veteran who plays a big role in the clubhouse for the Dodgers. While he was not at his best from the plate last year, he was a dependable shortstop, despite being signed to fill the utility role. He has now provided one more example of his clout in the clubhouse with a welcome present for his new Japanese teammates. Reports from the Dodgers camp say that Rojas took Freddie Freeman's advice on what wine to gift Ohtani and Yamamoto as a welcome gesture.

“I know what it’s like to come from a different country, join a new team. So I wanted to do something to make them feel welcome,” said Rojas.

Miguel Rojas' message to Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Despite joining a new team in the winter, Shohei Ohtani has been in the MLB for several years and settled into LA. However, for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the move to the Los Angeles Dodgers represents a move away from his home country for the first time in his young career.

Hence, along with his welcome gift, Miguel Rojas left a personal note for Yamamoto saying, "I've got your back." As the Japanese ace gets going in Spring Training, the support from his teammates will surely go a long way in getting acclimatized to the new environment.