Phillies’ Johan Rojas loses appeal, officially suspended 80 games by MLB
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Johan Rojas will be officially suspended 80 games without pay by Major League Baseball following an unsuccessful appeal after testing a banned performance-enhancing drug.
The league announced it had officially suspended Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Rojas after he tested positive for Boldenone, an anabolic steroid.
Earlier this month, news broke that 25-year-old Rojas had failed the test. As a result, not only did he face an MLB suspension, but he was also removed from the Dominican Republic’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) roster.
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Johan Rojas of the Philadelphia Phillies plays against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park on June 28, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
DR lost 2-1 to Team USA in the WBC semifinals on Monday night, and the team now advances to the final to await the winner of Venezuela and Italy.
Rojas won’t be able to play until the second half of the MLB season and won’t be able to join the roster if the Phillies make the playoffs.
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Rojas has played his entire career so far with the Phillies, making his big league debut in 2023. Rojas was relegated to the minor leagues in 2024 after his offensive struggles, but he still managed to play 120 games for Philadelphia.
In 2025, Rojas batted .224/.280/.289 with a .569 OPS in 71 games for the Phillies. He hit just one home run and had 18 RBIs in 172 games.
Johan Rojas of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a homer against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on July 2, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Before his suspension, Rojas was batting .167 in 24 spring training games.
Rojas, whose appeal was denied, became the second major leaguer to receive a long-term suspension, while Atlanta Braves star Jurickson Profar will have to miss the entire 2026 season after being suspended 162 games for his second PED offense.
Profar was suspended for 80 games last season after testing positive for chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone that helps produce testosterone in the body, in March.
Johan Rojas of the Philadelphia Phillies plays against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park on June 28, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
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Profar also planned to ask the MLBPA to file a complaint earlier this month to challenge any discipline.
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