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Johan Rojas will officially be suspended 80 games without pay by Major League Baseball after an unsuccessful appeal following a test for a banned performance-enhancing drug.
The league announced the official suspension of Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Rojas after he tested positive for Boldenone, an anabolic steroid.
News broke earlier this month that Rojas, 25, had failed the test. As a result, not only was he suspended by MLB, 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 faces the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park on June 28, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
The Dominican Republic lost to the American team, 2-1, in the WBC semi-final on Monday evening, while the latter now heads 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 if the Phillies reach the playoffs, he won’t be eligible for the team.
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Rojas has played his entire career with the Phillies thus far, making his big league debut in 2023. After struggling offensively, Rojas saw a demotion to the minor leagues in 2024, although he still managed to play 120 games for Philadelphia.
In 2025, Rojas slashed .224/.280/.289 with a .569 OPS over 71 games for the Phillies. He hit just one home run and had 18 RBIs in 172 plate appearances.
Johan Rojas of the Philadelphia Phillies makes a catch against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on July 2, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Before being suspended, Rojas was hitting .167 over 24 spring training at-bats.
With his appeal rejected, Rojas became the second major player to receive a lengthy suspension, although Atlanta Braves star Jurickson Profar is forced to miss the entire 2026 season after earning a 162-game suspension for his second PED offense.
Profar was suspended 80 games last season after testing positive in March for chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone that helps produce testosterone in the body.
Johan Rojas of the Philadelphia Phillies faces the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park on June 28, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Profar also intended to ask the MLBPA to file a grievance to appeal any disciplinary action earlier this month.
