When active rosters expanded two spots at the beginning of September, the Los Angeles Dodgers selected the contract of Kolten Wong and recalled Emmet Sheehan from Triple-A Oklahoma City to fill those.
Wong signed a Minor League contract with the Dodgers in the middle of August after being released by the Seattle Mariners. He quickly went to work with the organization’s hitting coaches at Camelback Ranch to improve his swing mechanics and had a strong showing with OKC before joining L.A.
Had the Dodgers not signed Wong or if he did not show his swing was back to form, they may have went a different route by recalling Miguel Vargas. Though, Michael Busch was a factor in Vargas remaining in Triple-A as well.
“I think to be quite honest, Michael outplayed him,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Michael is a prospect as well. We absolutely believe in what Miguel Vargas is going to do for us going forward, but I do believe at some point meritocracy, performance should matter. And to be quite honest, Michael went down there and play well.”
Busch was added to the Dodgers roster for a third time this season when J.D. Martinez was placed on the 10-day injured list. In his previous stints, Busch had only appeared in 15 games, hitting .200/.294/.267 with three doubles, four RBI and six walks.
However, the top prospect continued to rake in Triple-A, winning the Pacific Coast League Player of the Month for July, and he continued that into August by batting .343/.432/.686 with four doubles, one triple, six home runs and 16 RBI in 18 games.
Vargas, meanwhile, is hitting a strong .303/.412/.480 with Oklahoma City, but not at the level of Busch, who forced the Dodgers hand to call him up.
With Martinez on track to return for the series against the Washington Nationals this weekend, Busch may end up being the odd man out on the roster, leaving both rookies in Triple-A to receive consistent playing time.
Dodgers still confident in Miguel Vargas
When Vargas was optioned, he was batting .197/.302/.370 with 15 doubles, four triples, seven home runs and 32 RBI in 81 games. After the move, Roberts reiterated to the rookie infielder that the Dodgers still have big plans for him and thinks the demotion will help his development in the long run.
Although it seems unlikely Vargas will return to the club in 2023, barring any injuries, he should get another chance to compete for the starting second base job for the 2024 season.
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