Among Johan Rojas’ goals for this season: Conduct interviews in English. And his work is paying off.

When Johan Rojas steps in front of the cameras for a postgame scrum or chats with a media member by his locker, he makes an effort to respond to English queries in English.

Phillies interpreter Diego D’Aniello often is standing by, just in case clarification is needed, but Rojas usually doesn’t have to turn to him. The 24-year-old outfielder, who originally is from the Dominican Republic, set a goal for himself this season to conduct all his interviews in English, which is not something he’s done regularly in years past.

“Zero to 10,” Rojas said of his comfort with his second language since arriving stateside.

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Rojas took a few years of English classes after coming to the U.S. in 2019. But the biggest thing that has helped him gain confidence is practicing daily with his teammates.

“When I got here, I learned fast. I talk with the guys and ask questions,” Rojas said.

Fellow outfielder Nick Castellanos, who also speaks Spanish, has noticed Rojas progressively speaking more and more English since their first meeting. Now, their conversations together often flow naturally between Spanish and English.

“If there’s an avenue that he’s trying to come across, he’ll switch over to Spanish,” Castellanos said. “So it helps that I know that, too. And then if the situation presents itself, I’ll then refer that back to English.”

Rojas is hitting .278 this season, and on Wednesday recorded the hardest hit of his career. But overall, it hasn’t been the smoothest start for him. His defense has always been his strength, and he only committed two errors in each of the last two years.

Through his first nine games in 2025, he’s already been charged with an error after an errant throw on Wednesday. And he dropped a routine fly ball last week in Atlanta after a miscommunication with Edmundo Sosa, though it was ruled a double on the scoresheet.

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Afterward, Rojas owned up to the mistake in English.

“That ball is mine. I have to catch it. There’s no excuse,” he said.

Rojas’ commitment to giving interviews in his second language, even in moments like that, is unusual. Despite Castellanos’ fluency in Spanish, he said that when he is interviewed by Spanish language stations or outlets, he still answers in English in order to not be misconstrued.

“There’s some vulnerability on the person speaking to everybody else to kind of know that, ‘Hey, I’m learning,’” Castellanos said. “You don’t want to say something wrong.”

But despite that possibility, it is important to Rojas to try anyway.

“So the fans, they know what I say,” he said.

It started slowly with one-on-one conversations, which developed into being comfortable in front of cameras.

Phillies outfield coach Paco Figueroa is bilingual and is another resource for Rojas as he continues to improve his skills. Figueroa stressed the importance of him continuing to practice English in the winter, when Rojas is back home.

Rojas spent his offseason playing in the Dominican Winter League and kept up with his English by practicing with his cousins. Sometimes, he’ll watch English television shows. And his young sons, Johan Jr. and Stiven Jr., are being raised bilingual.

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“I wouldn’t say that it necessarily surprises me only because he’s smart. If he wants to do it, he’s going to do it,” Castellanos said.

And Rojas’ commitment to learning has started to inspire some of his Spanish-speaking teammates, including Sosa, to follow suit.

“We talked in spring training, and I think [Sosa] tried to get a class to speak more English too,” Rojas said. “And that’s really good for him.”

Rojas started in center field on Thursday, as Marsh was “a little sore” after turning his right knee awkwardly during a play on Wednesday. He will meet with the team doctor and the Phillies will reevaluate him after that. ... Ranger Suárez (low back) will be at Citizens Bank Park on Friday to meet with the Phillies trainers and will throw a bullpen. He will likely make his next rehab start at triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday. ... Zack Wheeler (1-1, 4.07 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday’s series opener against Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara (2-0, 4.70).