Vargas has gone 7-for-16 with a home run and three doubles since the Dodgers allowed him to start swinging in games following a finger injury.
Vargas' spring slash line of .292/.452/.542 looks pretty good on the surface, but it's even better when taking into account the fact that he began the Cactus League schedule with orders from the team to not swing the bat. The rookie consequently racked up eight strikeouts (in eight at-bats) while simply tracking pitches before the restriction was lifted, and he's since shown no ill effects from the hairline fracture of his right pinky finger that he suffered early in camp. Vargas has also made some nice defensive plays at second base, where he's slated to log most of his time in a starting role this season.
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Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Takes first swings of spring
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Vargas went 1-for-3 with a double and a strikeout in a Cactus League contest against Oakland on Thursday.
This was Vargas' seventh game of the spring, but he wasn't allowed to swing the bat in his first six after fracturing his right pinky finger while fielding a grounder early in camp. He was cleared to begin swinging in games ahead of Thursday's exhibition contest and nearly homered in his first at-bat, driving a ball to deep center field that bounced over the fence for a ground-rule double. Now that Vargas is back to playing without restrictions, there's nothing standing in his way of opening the campaign as the Dodgers' starting second baseman.
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Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Batting second Thursday
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Vargas (finger) is hitting second in the Dodgers' Cactus League lineup Thursday against the Athletics, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
And he has been given clearance to actually swing the bat in a live game for the first time since he suffered a hairline fracture to his right pinkie finger in February. Vargas should open as the primary starting second baseman in Los Angeles if all goes smoothly from this point forward. The 23-year-old struggled in his first taste of MLB action last season but posted excellent offensive numbers throughout his rise through the minors.
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Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Not in lineup Wednesday
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Vargas (finger) is not in the Dodgers' Cactus League lineup Wednesday night against the Mariners, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
It's just a routine bit of rest, and the expectation is that Vargas will finally be allowed to swing the bat the next time he does appear in an exhibition game. He's merely been tracking pitches so far in Cactus League play after suffering a hairline fracture in his right pinkie finger at the beginning of spring training. All signs point to the talented 23-year-old slotting in at second base for Los Angeles on Opening Day.
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Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Should resume swinging Wednesday
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Vargas (finger) is expected to resume swinging the bat in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Mariners, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Though Vargas hasn't been cleared to hit in games since Feb. 20 due to a right pinkie finger fracture, the injury hasn't hindered him in the field. He's still been making regular starts at second base during the Cactus League slate, and despite doing little more than standing in at the dish during his plate appearances, Vargas has managed to draw four walks. He'll start at the keystone again Monday against the Padres and won't take swings, but look for Vargas to become more aggressive at the plate beginning with Wednesday's contest.
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Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Still not taking swings
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Vargas (finger) will not take swings in Saturday's exhibition game, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Vargas has already started several games and not taken a swing while in the batter's box, and that will be the case again Saturday. There was hope that he would be cleared to hit in a game at some point this weekend, but manager Dave Roberts said Saturday that he will not do so until Wednesday at the earliest.
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Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Could hit in games this weekend
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Vargas (finger) is hopeful to gain clearance to swing the bat in games by this weekend, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register Register reports.
For the second time in three days, Vargas will start at second base in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Rangers, but he'll be limited to only tracking pitches at the plate when his turn in the batting order comes up. However, Vargas has resumed hitting in the batting cage without any apparent discomfort in his fractured right pinkie finger, so he sounds like he could be fully cleared within a few days.
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Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Starting Monday, but won't hit
Rotowire
Vargas (finger) will start at second base in Monday's Cactus League game against the Padres and is listed as the Dodgers' No. 9 hitter, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports. Juan Toribio of MLB.com relays that Vargas will check out of the game before his first plate appearance comes up.
Vargas has been dealing with a hairline fracture on his right pinkie finger, but he was able to swing without pain on Sunday. However, the Dodgers aren't yet comfortable having him face high-velocity pitching in a game setting, so Vargas' first at-bats of the Cactus League slate look as though they'll have to wait for a few more days. The 23-year-old is in contention for an everyday role at second base for the Dodgers while Gavin Lux transitions over to shortstop following the departure of Trea Turner in free agency. Vargas struggled to a .170/.200/.255 slash line with Los Angeles last season over 50 plate appearances, but he's considered the Dodgers' top prospect and produced a .304 average with 17 homers, 82 RBI, 100 runs and 16 stolen bases with Triple-A Oklahoma in 2022.
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Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Swings without pain
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Vargas (finger) took some two-handed swings during a workout Sunday and indicated that his right hand felt fine, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Vargas suffered a hairline fracture in his right pinky finger while fielding a grounder Feb. 20 and had been held back from swinging until Sunday. He did, however, start the Dodgers' Cactus League opener against Milwaukee on Saturday, playing defense and tracking pitches during his two plate appearances. Given Vargas' ability to progress to swinging Sunday, he should have plenty of time to prepare for Opening Day, when he's expected to be in the lineup as Los Angeles' starting second baseman.
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Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Regains grip strength
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Manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Vargas (finger) has regained his grip strength and is working in the batting cage, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
The 23-year-old has been limited since he suffered a hairline fracture to his right pinky finger last week, but he appears to be progressing toward full clearance. Vargas was in the lineup for Saturday's Cactus League opener in order to see some defensive reps, though he wasn't cleared to swing the bat. He'll likely need to face some live pitching before receiving full clearance for games.
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Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Won't be allowed to hit Saturday
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Vargas (finger) will be in the lineup for the Dodgers' Cactus League opener Saturday but will not be allowed to swing the bat, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.
The team wants Vargas to get the defensive reps, but he'll only be tracking pitches at the plate as he comes back from a hairline fracture in his right pinky. It's not clear when exactly he might be cleared to hit, but it's not expected to be long. Barring setbacks, the Dodgers are anticipating that Vargas will be ready for Opening Day.
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Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Playing defense Thursday
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Vargas (finger) will play defense in the Dodgers' intrasquad game Thursday, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.
Vargas suffered a hairline fracture to the pinky finger on his right hand while fielding grounders last week, but he can still do a lot of baseball activities without causing further damage. He hasn't been cleared yet to resume hitting, but that will hopefully come rather soon. The 23-year-old projects to open the 2023 regular season as the Dodgers' primary second baseman, assuming he is able to avoid further setbacks.
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Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Suffers hairline fracture to pinky
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed Monday that Vargas suffered a hairline fracture to the pinky finger of his right hand and won't resume swinging the bat for at least a few days, Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA reports.
A diagnosis for the pinky injury Vargas suffered while fielding a grounder earlier Monday wasn't initially provided, but Roberts provided more clarity on the matter when he met with the media following the Dodgers' workout. Though the nature of the injury isn't ideal, Vargas will still be able to take part in fielding drills over the next few days, which should help him in his bid to secure an everyday role at second base heading into Opening Day. According to Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register, the Dodgers don't have a precise timeline for when Vargas will resume swinging, but Roberts suggested that it may come down to a matter of pain tolerance on the part of the 23-year-old.
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Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Injures pinky on grounder
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Vargas suffered an injury to the pinky finger on his right hand while taking grounders Monday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.
Roberts said the injury will keep Vargas from swinging the bat for a few days, but more importantly, X-rays were negative, and the 23-year-old will continue to take defensive reps at second base as he looks to lock down a full-time role heading into Opening Day. Assuming Vargas adapts well to the keystone after playing only 57 innings at the position (all in the minors) in 2022, he should make for an attractive late-round target in drafts, given the upside he offers as a hitter.
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Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Could start at second base
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Dodgers GM Andrew Friedman said Sunday that Vargas could open 2023 as the club's primary second baseman, Jim Bowden of The Athletic reports.
The 23-year-old had a .455 OPS across 18 games in his first taste of big-league action in 2022, but he could be an Opening Day starter for Los Angeles this year following the offseason departures of Trea Turner and Justin Turner. Vargas is the organization's top prospect, and it appears he'll enter spring training with a leg up for playing time over veteran Miguel Rojas, who would fill an infield utility role after being acquired from the Marlins.
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Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Finding footing in majors
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Vargas went 1-for-2 with three RBI in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Padres.
Vargas put the Dodgers on the board in the second inning with a sacrifice fly, then broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth with a two-run single. It was his second straight contest with multiple RBI, though the previous performance came five days earlier. After starting his major-league career with just three hits in his first 24 at-bats, Vargas has gone 5-for-17 with a home run and six RBI over five games since Sept. 20. Manager Dave Roberts said after Thursday's victory that the rookie "is certainly in the mix to make the postseason roster," per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.
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Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Promotion official
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Los Angeles recalled Vargas from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday.
The Dodgers' top hitting prospect won't have a clear path to an everyday role as he rejoins the big club, but expect manager Dave Roberts to find room for Vargas in the lineup at least a couple times a week while veteran players like Justin Turner, Max Muncy and Chris Taylor receive occasional maintenance days over the final month of the season. Vargas logged eight plate appearances with the Dodgers earlier this summer, but he's otherwise spent the entire 2022 campaign at Oklahoma City, where he turned in a .915 OPS while chipping in 16 steals over 113 games.
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Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Set to rejoin big club
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Vargas exited during the middle of Triple-A Oklahoma City's game Tuesday and will be added to the major-league roster Thursday by the Dodgers when rosters expand to 28 players, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
The 22-year-old appeared in two games in his first taste of big-league action in early August, and he'll rejoin the Dodgers on Thursday when two extra roster spots become available. Vargas, who is Los Angeles' top prospect, has a .301/.398/.503 slash line with 16 home runs, 81 RBI and 15 stolen bases in 111 games at Triple-A this year.
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Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: On bench Saturday
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Vargas is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Padres.
Considered by many to be the top prospect in the organization, Vargas was added to the 40-man roster earlier this week and collected two hits in his MLB debut, but he's been on the bench for two of three games since. Even with Justin Turner (abdomen) on the injured list, the Dodgers' infield is crowded.
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Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Heads to bench Thursday
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Vargas isn't starting Thursday against the Giants, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.
Vargas made his big-league debut Wednesday and went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a stolen base. James Outman will take over as the designated hitter and bat ninth Thursday.
