"It was a really weird text message" - Miguel Rojas reveals conversation with Dodgers president before giving up No. 11 jersey to Roki Sasaki

LA Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas is going back to wearing No. 72, giving away his No. 11 jersey number to Roki Sasaki, who signed with the Dodgers as an international free agent last month.

However, it wasn't before a "weird text message" from Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman freaked him out. It was a Sunday midnight when Friedman texted Rojas that he wanted to run by something with him. Rojas, for all the wrong reasons, started to think the worst.

"It was a really weird text message saying that he wanted to run something by me," Rojas said on Chris Rose Rotation podcast on Monday (5:18 onwards).

"When I received that message, I almost lost it because I thought I was getting let go or traded. The worst-case scenario immediately came to my mind. I never thought that conversation would be about changing my number."

Adding further, Rojas recalled that when he texted back to Friedman, who didn't respond for another couple of hours, which sent the shortstop panicking even more.

"When I finally reached out to Andrew, he didn’t respond for another hour or two, and I was panicking, not knowing what was going to happen," Rojas added.

"I wasn’t ready, and honestly, I’m not ready to move on from this team after what we accomplished last year."

Miguel Rojas' anxiety finally came down when Friedman let him know that it was about the jersey number change and that they'd like for him to give up the No. 11 jersey so they could offer that to Roki Sasaki.

"When he finally told me it was about a number, I thought, ‘Andrew, you should have just texted me. Just say, "Hey, I need number 11." Let’s move forward.

"We’re trying to sign this guy who could be the best pitcher to ever come out of Japan.’ And I said, ‘Bro, that’s not even a question,’" Miguel Rojas said.

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Miguel Rojas reveals his affinity behind No. 72 after giving away No. 11 to Roki Sasaki

The first time Miguel Rojas attended spring training before he made his debut with the Dodgers in 2014, he was wearing the No. 72 jersey. Now that he will be going back to wearing that same number, he revealed that it will give him the opportunity to add more memories to the number.

"I think it’s going to be special; it’ll bring back a lot of memories and make me feel young again," Rojas added. "It’ll remind me to play with the same intensity and mindset I had back then — going into spring training to prove myself, earn my spot, and win a job.

"Number 72 reflects how my journey started. I didn’t make the team that year, but I played with them through the last day of spring training, flew to Australia, and was there when we opened the season in 2014. Later, when I got called up, I kept 72 because that spring training was great for me. Hopefully, I can continue adding to those memories."

Miguel Rojas, during the 2025 DODGERFEST, revealed that he wants nothing less than the 2025 World Series from Sasaki as a gift to him for giving away his No. 11 jersey.