Hawaii baseball: Former UH infielder Josh Rojas called up to the major leagues

Less than two weeks after he was traded from the Houston Astros to the Arizona Diamondback as part of the Zack Grienke deal, former University of Hawaii infielder Josh Rojas has been called up to the big leagues.

#Dbacks select infielder Josh Rojas from the Triple-A Reno @Aces.

Welcome to The Show, @JoshRojass! #RattleOn pic.twitter.com/iYgdglpr1q

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— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) August 12, 2019

Rojas, a two-year starter at UH from 2016-17 after transferring from a junior college, hit .514 (18-for-35) with four doubles, a triple, three homers and 14 RBIs in eight games with the Triple-A Reno Aces after the trade.

The Diamondbacks announced they would make room for Rojas on the 40-man roster by designating Blake Swihart for assignment.

Rojas was a 26th-round pick by the Astros in the 2017 draft after hitting .294 with 15 doubles, six triples and five homers as a senior for the Rainbow Warriors.

He will be the 10th Arizona-born player to play for the Diamondbacks and will be in the starting lineup tonight, hitting sixth and playing left field in Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies.

UPDATE: Rojas finished 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI in his MLB debut.

Rojas will be the first UH alum to play the big leagues since David Freitas was called up in 2017 after seven years in the minor leagues. Other current active UH alums are San Diego’s Greg Garcia and St. Louis’ Kolten Wong.