Miguel Rojas welcomes the new Dodgers event with custom studs and veteran “swag”.

Of all the things the Dodgers have come to appreciate about Miguel Rojas this spring, two of the biggest have to do with his feet.

There’s Rojas’ nimble footwork in the infield, a natural agility that has made the 34-year-old one of the best defensive shortstops in the major leagues.

Then there’s his obsession with custom sneakers and cleats, a vibrant collection of colorful shoes that reflect the confident swing he plays with.

“His shoe game,” manager Dave Roberts jokingly said this week, “is pretty close.”

After Gavin Lux’s season-ending knee injury, the Dodgers will need Rojas’ all-around play to shine similarly in 2023.

Originally acquired from the Miami Marlins in a January trade to serve as a part-time utility player on the Dodgers’ bench this season, Rojas was instead thrust into an unlikely starting role this week.

With Lux out for this year with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and no other natural shortstops on the Dodgers’ major league roster, Roberts says Rojas will play 75-80% of the team’s games barring another takeover reception ahead of the regular season.

That suggestion might put off some fans, given Rojas’ record deficiencies — he’s produced a major league-average clip just twice in nine seasons — and advancing age.

Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, has not closed the door on the Dodgers with an impact that could change roster roles again before spring’s end, though he admitted Friday morning that such a move would come around the trade deadline. is more likely in the middle of the season.

So for now, Rojas is preparing like he’s a starter in the Dodgers’ opening day series.

And during several scrums with reporters this week, he has been vocal about wanting to seize the opportunity and take on an unforeseen challenge.

‘I don’t take it [it] of course,” he said. “I know what I have to do to be part of a winning team.”

It will be no unknown responsibility for the 10-year veteran.

After debuting with the Dodgers in 2014 and moving to the Marlins the following off-season alongside Dee Gordon and Dan Haren, Rojas has emerged as Miami’s leading shortstop over the past five years.

During that time, Rojas recorded the third best fielding percentage (.983) of the qualifying major leagues at that position. He was also fifth in that group in defensive points with 23 saves, including a top 15 National League finish last season alone.

“Every time we played against the Marlins, at home and there, I always watched what he did,” said Dodgers third base coach and infield guru Dino Ebel. “Even between innings, the way he presents himself is a real professional.”

Still, last week’s unexpected developments have forced Rojas to adjust his spring routine.

The Venezuelan announced Thursday that he was dropping out of the World Baseball Classic, a decision he made after a meeting in Robert’s office with manager Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes.

“I need to be ready for the season,” said Rojas, who could still play in the WBC, but only if other changes in Venezuela’s roster would allow him to play a more prominent role in his team.

“I feel very bad that I will not represent Venezuela because that is what I really wanted to do,” he added. “But I don’t know if I’m going to get 2 at bats or 20 at bats or 15 at bats [in the WBC]. And right now, the most important thing for me is to continue to bond [with the Dodgers] and put the organization at ease.”

To that end, the Dodgers speed up their work with Rojas’ momentum.

While the shortstop is a career 260 batter who annually records some of the lowest strikeout percentages in MLB, he also has only one season with at least 10 home runs and may be coming off his worst offensive campaign in 2022, when he hits good placed. -below average .605 on base plus slugging percentage while hampered by right hand and wrist injuries.

The Dodgers are hoping that Rojas can keep his hit-to-ball skills while bringing more pop to the plate. They focused on improving his mechanics in the lower half. They encouraged him to be more aggressive when he came into batting.

“It won’t be his job to carry us offensively,” said Roberts. “But we expect that professional racket. And I think with the information we have and the pre-match preparation, I still believe there’s a lot more going on than there was.”

Rojas must also help herd a new Dodgers onto the field.

The importance of the shortstop role has already been amplified for teams this year thanks to new MLB rules prohibiting defensive shifts. And that could be especially important for the Dodgers early in the season as they brace for rookie Miguel Vargas’ growing pains at second base.

“Great,” Roberts said when asked how much Rojas could help his new doubles partner. “Rojas by his side will support Vargas’ intensity, sense of urgency and way of working. It will raise it much faster.”

Rojas previously pitched a regular playoff game.

In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he posted career highs in batting average (.304), batting percentage (.496), and OPS (.888) to help the Marlins squeak into a larger postseason field and sweep the Chicago Cubs into a wild as well flip card.

“He was our captain,” said Alex Vesia, current Dodgers reserve and then-Marlins rookie. “At least that’s how I saw him.”

This season was also the year where Rojas cemented another of his signature traits with a bespoke boot collection that now rivals any other player in the major leagues.

Born out of Rojas’ love of NBA style and culture, this passion began in earnest with a well-timed view of a well-shot double play.

In the photo, taken during game two of the 2020 season, Rojas can be seen jumping Bryce Harper onto second base with his legs swung out to either side — and his custom, Marlins-colored Jordan 1 cleats positioned the right light around the Sun.

“They got a lot of attention from this piece,” Rojas said, “and from the images.”

Roja’s shoe obsession has only grown since then. In collaboration with Stadium Custom Kicks, he has a line of specially painted shoes nicknamed Miggy’s Locker. He has multiple variations of the Jordan and Nike brands — essentially store-bought basketball shoes with spikes on the bottom — that have become the bane of the Dodgers camp this spring.

“It’s how I express my personality,” Rojas said. “If I feel good and look good, I will go out with a lot of confidence. It won’t determine what I will be as a player. But it definitely makes me feel better.”

Vesia agreed.

“He’s got the swag, he’s got the look,” said the first responder. “But he also has the talent and everything else. He’s the whole package.”

That’s certainly what the Dodgers are asking of him now.

A defender at short stops. An experienced leader for young new players on the team. A stopover that can provide stability after the first serious injury of the season.

“The reason we traded against a guy like Miguel was to protect us from potential volatility,” Roberts said. “To have a man who plays a top position who we trust as a defender first, that’s huge.”