How LEGOs helped Rogers build past lost '23 season

This story was excerpted from Christina De Nicola’s Marlins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

JUPITER, Fla. -- While the Marlins were midway through a 2023 season that surprised the baseball world with a postseason berth, left-hander Trevor Rogers was trying to find a hobby.

Rogers, who landed on the injured list with a left biceps strain on April 21, sustained a setback prior to his final rehab outing on June 10. Told his new injury -- a right lat strain -- would need months to heal naturally, his season ended after just four starts.

More than the physical toll on his body, Rogers was cognizant of the possible mental repercussions. He needed to get away from baseball and pass the time in some way. A month after the diagnosis, he found inspiration when a BD-1 Star Wars LEGO caught his eye.

“'Let me see if this is any fun,’” Rogers recalled thinking. “And it was awesome.”

The 26-year-old built 11 LEGO sets during the season. His favorite is Super Mario’s The Mighty Bowser. The most elaborate is a nearly 5,000-piece Gringotts Wizarding Bank from the Harry Potter series that took about a month to complete.

Rogers’ entire collection is still constructed, with the majority of the pieces displayed on a shelf in his Jupiter residence. The rest are at his offseason home in Texas.

“Oh dude, I was locked in. Locked in,” said Rogers, who had big building blocks but not LEGO as a kid. “I would sit down at my kitchen table back home and three hours would pass, and like, ‘Today was a good day. I don't need to do anything else.’ It was awesome.”

As Rogers’ body healed, his mind decompressed. He felt more like himself in late October and early November, when he was able to lift without tightness in his lat. Shortly after the new year, Rogers had reset and was eager to compete again.

In early January, Rogers visited his agency’s new facility in Arizona to train and met biomechanic Tommy Costello. After just four throws while playing catch, Costello asked if he could point out a few things about Rogers’ delivery. Rogers was using his body in an inefficient way, overcompensating and increasing the likelihood of injury.

“I think just the velocity was better, the way it got to the plate was more efficient,” Rogers said. “The movement on my offspeed was a lot better. Everything just felt better, just felt a lot cleaner.”

Rogers, who threw his first bullpen session on Friday, isn’t guaranteed an Opening Day roster spot, no less a rotation spot. Since finishing as the 2021 National League Rookie of the Year runner-up, he has a 5.26 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP in 27 starts. Rogers is out to prove his rookie season wasn’t a fluke.

“I think the thing about Trevor is I think he wants it more than ever because of what happened last year,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “He was really looking forward to coming off maybe a year that he wasn't happy with. And then he gets hurt right away. That was definitely not in the plan. What you like about him -- he's 6-5, a giant lefty that throws three different pitches for strikes.

“And he's done it before, and when you have some edge to you, some motivation to you, that's different. And so he's got a lot to prove for himself, and he wants to prove that he's one of the guys in the rotation, and in the rotation for a long time. And so a motivated Trevor Rogers and motivated anybody is a really good thing. But I'm not sure there's anybody more motivated than him in there right now.”