Johan Rojas in appeals process after failing PED test

Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas has failed a performance-enhancing drug test and is facing a suspension, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post. He will appeal the positive test: 

Phillies OF Johan Rojas did fail a test for PEDs. He, like Profar, is appealing the positive test. @wilberdata 1st reported Rojas’ failed test.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 3, 2026

Reporter Wilber Sánchez first noted on Sunday night that he had heard Rojas failed a test. 

Rojas had been scheduled to play for the Dominican Republic during the World Baseball Classic, but DR general manager Nelson Cruz announced Monday that he would no longer be part of the team. Cruz was unable to get into specifics. 

Team Dominican Republic GM Nelson Cruz stated Johan Rojas won’t play in the World Baseball Classic anymore due to “personal reasons.”

Junior Lake replaced Rojas.

The Phillies have 13 representatives in the WBC (nine on their 40-man and four prospects).
pic.twitter.com/EGoAZ8i0MD

— Andrew Coté (@acote_88) March 2, 2026

If Rojas' appeal is unsuccessful, he'll be permitted to return for the remainder of the regular season once his suspension concludes, but he won't be eligible for the postseason as part of the terms of his punishment. 

The 2025 season was one to forget for Rojas. He was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after the Phillies acquired Harrison Bader at the trade deadline. He never returned to the bigs last year, with a quad injury preventing him from likely being on the postseason roster as a pinch runner/defensive replacement. 

Rojas seemed optimistic in a conversation with OnPattison at the outset of Spring Training after he hit .302 with three homers, 14 RBIs and a .772 OPS across 148 at-bats in the Dominican Winter League. The thought was that even with Justin Crawford likely to be the Opening Day center fielder, Rojas was in the mix for a bench spot. 

That hope now appears dashed, and Rojas — just a few years after he appeared to have a chance to be a long-term cog for the Phillies — finds himself as a crossroads. He arguably was already at one, but certainly a suspension would make his future even murkier.

Rojas would be the second Phillie in as many seasons to get suspended for a failed PED test, as reliever José Alvarado served an 80-game punishment during the 2025 season. That was obviously a bigger deal, because when he was suspended last May, Alvarado was the top option in the bullpen for the Phillies. 

Additionally, Max Kepler — who appeared in 127 games for the Phillies last season — was suspended for 80 games in January for a failed PED test. Kepler was already a free agent at the time the suspension was announced. 

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