How Mike Sirota Is Turning His Potential Into Production
Dodgers top prospect Mike Sirota shares what he learned from his 2025 knee injury and how he used the road bump to better himself both mentally and physically.
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COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. — Shuffling through the dugout in a T-shirt, shorts, tights, and sandals, Mike Sirota flashes a grin, followed by a firm handshake.
Still just 22 years old, there is an immediate ease emitting from Sirota as he takes a seat and stares out at the field.
He had been through the Midwest League before, but this time he’s healthy, and for Sirota, he’s taking the journey and challenges all in stride.
Coming to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the trade that sent Gavin Lux to Cincinnati in January of 2025, Sirota, Just Baseball’s No. 14 overall prospect, was quickly billed as a developing name to watch within the Los Angeles farm system.
After slashing .354/.443/.687 with a 1.130 OPS and seven home runs over 24 games in the California League, Sirota received a promotion to High-A Great Lakes in the Midwest League and the momentum continued.
Adding another six home runs and 30 RBI, Sirota entered that summer with 13 home runs and 54 RBI over 59 games.
Midway through July, Sirota admits he had been playing through some pain in his knee. Like most athletes, you develop an ability to keep your head down with the understanding that aches and pains come and go.
After being evaluated by medical staff, it turned out that the pain Sirota was dealing with was more involved than expected, and the 2025 season came to an abrupt halt.
“It was a small tear in my patellar tendon,” Sirota said. “I’d had that the whole year, a little bit of pain in my knee, and I was playing through it.”
The patellar tendon connects your kneecap to your shinbone and impacts everything from climbing stairs, running, jumping and straightening your knee.
With Sirota’s growing success, the Dodgers opted not to take any chances, beginning Sitora’s rehabilitation journey.
Dodgers vice president of player development Will Rhymes had a front row seat to how Sirota handled the task of rehabbing and maintaining a healthy mindset.
“The most impressive thing about how [Sirota] has handled rehab and returned from injury is the same as what is most impressive about him in general,” Rhymes said. “He’s one of the most mentally tough and focused players we’ve ever had.”
The process was extensive, sidelining Sirota for the remainder of the 2025 season.
While rehabilitation focuses on physical recuperation, Sirota learned it can be as much a mental process as it is physical, and sticking with his natural approach to any challenge, Sirota began the task of returning to physical restoration.
“He’s a chill dude,” an American League scout said. “He’s got that dog in him, no doubt, but it’s a sneaky bite when you don’t expect it. There was no point for him to rush coming back and that worked in his favor.”
For Sirota, it became a process of learning what could keep him grounded. Video games, meditation and keeping himself surrounded by people who would keep him uplifted when he needed.
This also included calls to his parents and former college teammate and best friend, Max.
The balance of leaning on the people who know him best while finding his own rhythm to navigating the rehabilitation chapter of his journey.
After receiving the green light to return to the field, Sirota’s start to the 2026 season didn’t click as quickly as he was hoping, but just as he approached his rehabilitation journey, Sitota stuck with what he knew.
A step at a time and learn what you can along the way.
Despite a language barrier, Sirota looked to Great Lakes outfield teammate Eduardo Quintero after a slow start at the plate. Much like Sirota, the 20-year-old Venezuelan native was struggling to find his rhythm and, in turn, opened a unique bond with Sirota.
“[Eduardo] Quintero and I hadn’t gotten off to the hottest starts, so talking to him about stuff, and even though there’s a bit of a language barrier, there’s definitely understanding,” Sirota said. “I like asking him stuff.”
“We’re both in a great headspace, which I know might sound hard to believe, but especially him,” Sirota said. “You couldn’t tell if he’s 0-for-50 or 50-for-50. It’s really cool to see that, and understand that it’s a very long season and things can change in a day, especially this time of year.”
And just as Sirota expected, the tides did indeed start to turn.
After beginning the regular season going 1-for-17 offensively, Sirota broke out of his skid, hitting in 12 of his next 13 outings, including five multi-hit games for High-A Great Lakes.
A step at a time and learn what you can along the way.
After slashing .325/.478/.602 with a 1.080 OPS, the Dodgers rewarded Sirota with a promotion to Double-A Tulsa in May.
“He’s got a great ability to tune out any noise and handle what he can control and what is right in front of him,” Rhymes shared. “We sent him over to a Major League Spring Training game after not seeing any game action since last July, and he hits a home run. He just has complete confidence in himself and believes he’s going to be great. He goes out and focuses on the right things every day.”
For Sirota, the task hasn’t changed, but in addition to excelling on the field, he now finds a balance of three things this season. Knee health, offense and defense and his return to the Midwest League is proving to be a solid outlet to perfect how he’ll handle this going into the future.
“It’s definitely a little bit different because you’re focusing on multiple things at once with the injury on top of focusing on hitting and playing defense,” Sirota said. “I think I’ve done a pretty good job recently of balancing the three, having a little routine that I do with my knee that helps me stay on top of it, and kind of get it out of my head a little bit.”
This includes a variety of isometric exercises before games and a BFR (blood flow restriction) routine to help give Sirota more confidence going into games.
“It’s like a recovery kind of thing that I do,” Sirota said. “That helps me stay locked in on the game a little more, and I’m worried a little bit less about my knee.”
The routine is returning Sirota to his roots and the boost in confidence on the field has been hard to ignore.
“He has a chance to be a complete player and impact the game in all facets,” Rhymes said. “The most in-your-face aspect of Mike is the combo of plate discipline and power. It’s the equivalent of a Mike Tyson punch every time he swings.”
With the Drillers, Sirota is producing more of the same, slashing .337/.491/.530 with a 1.021 OPS, 10 extra-base hits and 17 RBI in 23 games.
“[My knee] feels really good, the best it’s ever felt,” Sirota said. “I’m not going to say I’m glad that [the injury] happened, but I’m going to say I learned a lot from the the injury on how to manage my body and things like that.”
A step at a time and learn what you can along the way.
“He just needs to stay healthy,” the American League scout said. “The stuff is there. He’s going to be a guy. He just has to stay healthy.”
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