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USATSI

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas Jr. responded on Tuesday to brickbats that were evidently aimed in his direction by ex-Miami Marlins teammate Jazz Chisholm Jr.

"Whatever you want to say about me as a player, you can have that opinion," Rojas said during an appearance on The Chris Rose Rotation podcast. "But you saying that I'm a bad person when you don't even know me, that's kind of what bothers me."

Chisholm, who had criticized the Marlins' clubhouse culture during an appearance last week on The Pivot podcast, did not name names during his interview. He did identify one player, accused of having badmouthed him to manager Don Mattingly behind his back, as the unofficial team captain. Rojas had filled that role, leading several media outlets to connect the dots that Chisholm had taken issue with Rojas' leadership skills.

"You can't be a team leader when you've got guys that's been in the clubhouse that's been in there nine or 10 years even though they suck," Chisholm said. "They've been there for nine or 10 years and the team calls them the team captain. But they're not a good captain, they're not a good person, you're not even a good athlete at this point. You're just here and you're bringing down the young guys that are supposed to be good."

Chisholm also referenced several stories of hazing and bullying toward younger Marlins players during his interview, including one case where a veteran destroyed his custom-made shoes. Rojas confirmed a different story that saw veterans criticize outfielder Jesús Sánchez for imitating Juan Soto's "shuffle" gesture.

Rojas also took exception to Chisholm airing the Marlins' old dirty clubhouse laundry.

"I'm not expecting everybody to like me, and I don't like everybody," Rojas said, per an ESPN transcription. "But that doesn't mean that I can go out there and tell everybody what's happening in the clubhouse. As a professional, you have to understand that you have to respect everybody that is in that clubhouse. ... When you come to a place and you get to a new place, there are people there that have been there before you. There's rules in place, and someone is going to keep you accountable."

Of course, it could be argued that Chisholm was doing his part to hold people accountable, too -- provided that his version of all events were accurate.

The Marlins and Dodgers will play a three-game set in Los Angeles from May 6-8. Don't expect Rojas and Chisholm to be on hugging terms by then.