Dodgers Infielder Calls Out False Positive for Doping Report After Apology
On March 18 and continuing through Wednesday morning reports emerged that Los Angeles Dodger infielder Miguel Rojas had been suspended for eighty games due to a performance-enhancing drug violation. This false accusation stemmed from an erroneous social media post by Evan Drellich of The Athletic, which mistakenly identified the Dodgers player as Johan "Johan" Rojas—the actual recipient of such suspension—rather than his brother-in-law or teammate Miguel who was never tested positive for PEDs and has since addressed the error with understanding.
Key Points
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1Miguel Rojas was falsely identified as a recipient of an 80-game PED suspension in social media reports that were later deleted.
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2The erroneous report caused significant credibility damage for both Miguel and his team before it became clear he had not tested positive or been suspended.
Developments
Perspectives
Miguel Rojas addressed an erroneous report from earlier in the week with understanding while also making his feelings clear.
— "It wasn't just my name." Why Miguel Rojas was bothered by erroneous suspension report (Los Angeles Times, Sports.yahoo.com)The Los Angeles Dodgers did not have a PED problem; they had to deal with credibility issues caused when false social media reports claimed the team's infielder would be suspended 80 games for using performance-enhancing drugs.
— "Dodgers' Infielder Never Tested Positive for PEDs After False Report" (Heavy)Miguel Rojas was thrown into controversy because it was incorrectly reported that he had been accused of taking steroids, but the actual person involved in a similar situation is his brother Johan. Both Miguel and Evan Drellich have now shared their side.
— "Writer apologizes after Dodgers' Miguel Rojas breaks silence on incorrect PED accusation" (Clutchpoints)Miguel was briefly falsely identified as being suspended 80 games for performance-enhancing drugs based on a deleted post by The Athletic's Evan Drellich that named the wrong player.
— "Dodgers' Miguel Rojas breaks silence on now-deleted PED report" (Thebiglead)Dodgers infielder Miguel addressed an erroneous suspension claim made by Athletic writer Evan Drellich after correcting that Phillies player Johan Rojas had tested positive. While forgiving human error regarding his name being misused on social media, Rojas expressed concern over how the report affected both himself and Dodgers fans before watching Team Venezuela win their World Baseball Classic tournament victory later in Wednesday's events.
Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas addressed an erroneous social media post that incorrectly identified him as receiving an 80-game suspension due to banned substance use. The report was corrected by writer Evan Drellich, who admitted his mistake and apologized after it turned out the player tested positive for Boldenone is Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas.
A false social media report incorrectly accused Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas of an 80-game PED suspension, when the player actually suspended by MLB for testing positive to Boldenone was his cousin Johan. Although The Athletic's reporter Evan Drellich later deleted and apologized for the error with a public clarification on Wednesday, Miguel Rojas argued that such serious allegations cause lasting reputational damage regardless of how quickly they are corrected.
Miguel Rojas was falsely identified as the recipient of an 80-game Major League Baseball PED suspension in a deleted post by Evan Drellich on X. During his interview regarding this error and lack of apology from Drellich, who is covering spring training rather than Arizona where it occurred, Miguel expressed that he expected to be apologized for but remains okay with making mistakes while noting the team's distress during those six minutes.