After an offseason in which the Los Angeles Dodgers lost several regulars in free agency, Miguel Vargas is primed to take on a larger role with the team this year.
When Vargas was called up last year for his MLB debut, he primarily appeared off the bench and played left field. Now he’s primed to play second base despite being a natural third baseman.
Vargas spent a portion the offseason working out with Miguel Rojas, who gave the young prospect plenty of praise for being committed to learning a new position.
Some of that was interrupted in camp, as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed Vargas sustained a hairline fracture in the pinky of his right hand, via Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
Dave Roberts said Miguel Vargas suffered a hairline fracture in his right pinky finger after taking a ground ball off his hand this week
Injury isn’t considered too serious, but Vargas won’t swing a bat for a few days. He can still play defense during workouts
— Jack Harris (@Jack_A_Harris) February 20, 2023
Fortunately for Vargas, the injury is not going to prevent him from continuing to participate in defensive drills. However, it’s possible the 23-year-old may not be in the Dodgers lineup for their Cactus League opener on Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Over four career Minor League seasons, Vargas has played just 28 games (27 starts) at second base. While up with the Dodgers last year, he made starts at first base, third base, left field and designated hitter, but regularly worked at second base with coaches prior to games.
Miguel Vargas turned down WBC opportunity
Although the Dodgers have several players who are going to participate in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Vargas rejected a chance to be on the Team Cuba roster so that he could solely focus on his first big league season.
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