NY Mets prospect Jefferson Rojas sent two reminders why he’s an Opening Day roster candidate

Why bother waiting? Jefferson Rojas will be on the 40-man roster before the season begins. His Rule 5 Draft eligibility guarantees the New York Mets will protect him in some capacity. It’s no secret he’ll contribute to the big league squad in some capacity in 2027. With the Dominican Winter League underway, he made a pair of statements by homering twice on Saturday.

In only 6 games in Triple-A, Rojas hit .308 with 3 home runs. Apparently no slowing down between the end of Syracuse’s season and the start of the Winter League, Rojas’ 27 home run regular season is putting him in the conversation to have a very Carson Benge-like preseason where the Mets actually put him on the major league roster.

Where he fits in is the bigger question. If Bo Bichette opts out, it’s easy. Rojas becomes the rookie you hope has the third base job, no questions asked. If Bichette opts in, the Mets find themselves in a place where maybe they don’t hesitate to move Marcus Semien to the bench. Second base opens up for Rojas or maybe even yet another position change for Bichette.

Jefferson Rojas is giving the Mets plenty of reasons to start planning for him to be with the club when the season begins

Exactly when the 2027 season starts is up to the CBA negotiations. Do we miss games? Weeks? Months? The troubling part with Rojas is that if he is added to the 40-man roster prior to the lockout, a question every team has to deal with with concern for the Rule 5 Draft, Rojas would be ineligible to play any minor league games.

It’s a small hiccup in the big picture. What it could do is hold Rojas back from joining the Mets immediately. If, hypothetically, negotiations drag out then some added at-bats in Triple-A could feel like a must.

We know better than to buy in fully to what a player does in the Winter League. However, dominance out of Rojas furthers an already existing case to make him a contender for the Opening Day roster.

What the Mets would be unlikely to do is have Rojas around to be a limited part-time player. It makes no sense to elevate then sit him. There needs to be room for expanded playing time. 

Rojas played this game at third base which is the spot he’ll ultimately end up if he stays with New York and succeeds. He has played the exact same number of games at third base and second base in the professional regular season, 83 games and 81 starts for both spots. Shortstop has been his main position, however, defense hasn’t been a strength and the Mets still have Francisco Lindor. At least for now, they aren’t moving Lindor to a new position.

To their credit, the current Mets regime has been quick to promote high-performing prospects. The last wave of Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, and Mark Vientos appeared more ready. Sure, all three have their shortcomings and we can add Ronny Mauricio into the mix while we’re at it. Would pushing them have made things any worse?

Rojas should be a quick promotion candidate for New York regardless of how the offseason goes. An impressive Winter Ball performance only helps the narrative push further that Syracuse is a waste of his time.

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