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Johan Rojas Reportedly Tests Positive For Performance-Enhancing Drug

By | at March 3, 2026 4:50pm CDT

Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas has tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug, according to reporter Wilber Sánchez as well as Jon Heyman of The New York Post. Heyman says Rojas will be appealing the ruling. Players face an 80-game suspension for a first-time positive test for PEDs. There has not yet been any formal announcement regarding Rojas from Major League Baseball or the Phillies.

Rojas, 25, has played for the Phillies at the major league level in each of the past three seasons. Broadly speaking, he has been a speed-and-defense guy who doesn’t provide much value from the batter’s box.

He has appeared in 250 games with 51 steals in 58 attempts. He has logged 1,714 innings in center field and has been credited with 22 Defensive Runs Saved and 18 Outs Above Average. But in 699 plate appearances, he has just six home runs and a .252/.294/.340 batting line. That translates to a 74 wRC+, indicating he has been 26% below league average as a hitter in his career overall.

Despite his skills, the lack of offense cut into his playing time with the Phillies. He was essentially an everyday center fielder in 2024, appearing in 120 contests. He held that job for part of the 2025 season but the Phils acquired Harrison Bader at the deadline, which led to Rojas getting optioned to the minors for the final two months of the schedule.

Bader became a free agent at season’s end and eventually signed with the Giants but it didn’t seem as though the Phillies had Rojas as a prominent piece of their 2026 plans. It was reported pretty early in the offseason that he was available in trade talks as the Phils planned to give prospect Justin Crawford a shot at the center field job.

Rojas was likely going to be relegated to a fourth outfielder role. He also has an option remaining and could have been sent down for regular playing time at the Triple-A level. A suspension would cut into his ability to serve in either role. He can continue to play during the appeals process but it’s unclear if the Phils will keep using him in spring games, per Charlotte Varnes and Matt Gelb of The Athletic. He was going to participate in the World Baseball Classic with the Dominican Republic team but dropped out last week.

Although Rojas had fallen down the depth chart, it would be a notable loss for the Phillies if Rojas is ultimately suspended. Their roster is quite strong but the outfield looks like one of the weaker points. As mentioned, Crawford is going to get a shot at the center field job, despite having no major league experience yet. The Phils have plugged Adolis García into right field, hoping for a bounceback after two down years. Brandon Marsh is a decent left fielder but needs a platoon partner since he’s awful against lefties. Otto Kemp could be Marsh’s platoon partner, though he has far more experience as an infielder than as an outfielder.

Gabriel Rincones Jr. and Pedro León are also on the 40-man roster. Both have options and are lined up to start the season in the minors. Rincones hasn’t yet made his major league debut and The Athletic notes that he is currently not playing due to ongoing knee problems. León is a waiver claimee who has just seven big league games under his belt. Bryan De La Cruz, who slashed .191/.240/.213 in limited action last year, is in camp as a non-roster invitee.

It’s not an especially strong group on the whole and losing Rojas would thin it out further. If the Phils want to add before Opening Day, guys like Tommy Pham and Andrew McCutchen are currently free agents. Some other guys will also shake loose in the coming weeks as teams make their final roster decisions when spring training winds down.

Photo courtesy of Kelley L Cox, Imagn Images

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