Miguel Rojas made the most of the Dodgers‘ postseason bye. On October 1, he flew to Miami, walked into a conference room with a federal official, and walked out with a perfect score on his U.S. citizenship exam. The 37-year-old Venezuelan infielder — 13 MLB seasons, 19.6 career WAR, two World Series rings — had been waiting a long time for this moment.
«I Knew the Answers»
At the pregame press conference before Game 3 of the NLDS on October 6, Rojas was calm and clear about what happened inside that room:
«I wasn’t nervous because I was prepared. That’s how I live my life. I felt I was ready. It was my first time going into a conference room with an official. I knew the answers.»
That preparation mattered more than it might sound. Rojas had originally been scheduled for a January 2026 appointment, but a Department of Homeland Security memo paused naturalization applications from citizens of countries flagged as high-risk — Venezuela among them. He had to reschedule and wait for a new opening.
That opening came at exactly the right time. Because the Dodgers won the top seed and skipped the Wild Card round, Rojas had the free days he needed to make the trip to Miami and sit for the exam.
More Than 20 Years Building a Life Here
Rojas came to the United States at 16, signed as a prospect by the Cincinnati Reds. He chose Miami as his home — he has lived there for 15 years, and both of his children were born there. He has spent more of his life in the U.S. than in Venezuela.
Those two decades on American soil run parallel to a career that adds up to .260 AVG, 61 home runs, 386 RBI and 19.6 WAR across 13 seasons, per Baseball Reference. Along the way he collected two World Series rings with the Dodgers (2024 and 2025). In Game 7 of the 2025 Fall Classic, he hit the tying home run in the ninth inning or later — the first player in MLB history to do that in a Game 7.
In the 2026 regular season — the final year of his one-year, $5.5 million deal, which he publicly framed as the closing chapter of his career — Rojas hit .271 with a .710 OPS, 4 home runs and 22 RBI in 218 at-bats. Role-player numbers, yes, but exactly the kind a veteran who knows his job produces.
One Step Still to Go
Passing the exam is not the finish line. As of October 6, Rojas had not yet completed the formal swearing-in ceremony, the last step in the naturalization process. Until that ceremony takes place, the process is not officially closed.
In the meantime, he has Game 3 of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves — with Chris Sale on the mound — to focus on. And on the retirement question, Rojas was careful: at the same press conference, he said he is not 100 percent certain he is done playing.
The citizenship, at least, is nearly his.
