Phillies OF Johan Rojas, nearing end of PED suspension, out for season after UCL tear

Johan Rojas won’t be returning to the field this season after all.

>The Philadelphia Phillies outfielder suffered a UCL tear in his right elbow and will now need surgery, the team revealed on Wednesday. The plan, as of now, is for Rojas to be ready for spring training next season.

>The injury came while Rojas was ramping up baseball activities in recent weeks as he neared the end of an 80-game suspension. Rojas tested positive for the banned performance-enhancing drug Boldenone in March, which led to the league suspending him for nearly half of the season and making him ineligible for the playoffs. Rojas was removed from the Dominican Republic's roster for the World Baseball Classic as a result, too.

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>Rojas was set to return from that suspension on June 25. Now, he’ll have to wait until next season.

>The 25-year-old has spent his entire career with the Phillies after making his MLB debut with the organization in 2023. He held a .224 batting average with one home run and 18 RBIs last season in 71 games. He was demoted to the team’s Triple-A affiliate in August, and didn’t play with the Phillies for the rest of the campaign.

>The Phillies will carry a 36-31 record into Wednesday’s contest with the Toronto Blue Jays. That has them in second in the NL East race, nine games back from the Atlanta Braves.